


Dragon World

by CrystalJade



Series: Dragon World [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010), NCIS, Stargate SG-1, The Sentinel
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, M/M, Midnight Alpha Drake Steve, Mpreg, Pale Teal Wyvern Danny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-10-21
Packaged: 2018-07-15 10:53:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 58
Words: 99,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7219558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalJade/pseuds/CrystalJade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by and set in Jilly James (Jilly)'s Emergence world.<br/>http://archiveofourown.org/works/3385097/chapters/7405481</p><p>Steve is an alpha dragon which is called Alpha Drake. And now he feels/believes/prays that Danny would be his omega-his Wyvern.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer:don't own the boys. They belong to each other.

On the plane back to Hawaii, Steve is pondering over what he was told in the conference during the previous days. He fidgets in his seat, despite the fact that there's enough room for his ridiculous long legs - Danny's words, he complained about that last time they were on a flight together. Everyone on the island knows how Danny can bitch about Steve. It's no wonder that people keep asking them how long they've been married - even he's an Alpha and Danny looks very human and an Alpha dragon can't take a human no matter how much he wants - since the first day Danny became his partner. Or to be exact, since the day he made Danny his partner. He has been damn pleased with himself for this. 

He's equal parts excited and nervous now. If what he learned was true, it's likely that Danny would be his Omega/Wyvern. 

After Tony DiNozzo's emergence, there're more than a few Wyverns who emerged over the past half year. Compared to the average number before that, it's a whole lot more. And word is that one of those days Wyverns would be in comparable numbers to the Alphas/Drakes which means more Alphas would have the chance to find their mate. Before that only a few very very very lucky Alphas found theirs. 

He never dared to hope that he could find his mate and therefore no longer live alone. More importantly, it might be Danny, the only one he has feelings for even when he thought Danny's a human and he can't have him. Reflecting on what Tony has told the Alphas who attended the meeting, Steve grins goofily. The high-ranking Wyvern said that when an Alpha meets his future mate in advance of his emergence, he's all this Alpha can think about and the Alpha, without exception, feels inexplicably drawn to him. Sometimes the Alpha even wishes this person - his unchanged mate - were a dragon so that he can pursue him. And that's exactly how he feels for Danny. After hearing that, he just keeps praying that this assumption isn't all just wishful thinking on his part.

Also, according to the few newly emerged Wyverns, a latent Wyvern would've known subconsciously who their mate(s) is. And most of the newly changed Wyverns chose the ones who had been their friends or partners before the emergence. There's only the off chance that the Wyverns would choose some Drake they met or worked with before, not the Drake they knew the best. All of them claimed that they had known for sure who their mate was before the gathering. Some didn't even have the gathering. It gets clearer that the traditional ritual would not be a necessity any more.

So in short, if ever Steve's mate emerges, that in all likelihood will be Danny. And Danny would choose him. Steve feels like he might explode inside from sheer happiness.

Steve smiles to himself. Danny. His Danny, his mate. That sounds so right.

He has always felt uncomfortable about mating with a Beta, let alone bonding with a Beta. He doesn't think it's wrong. He's not that hypocritical. Everyone, Drake or not, has the right to choose their intended and decide how to live their own life. It just doesn't seem right for him. Catherine is a female Beta who has always been eager to mate with him. At least there were times when she was very keen on that and claimed she loved him. But then when something happened, she just turned around and abandoned him again and again without hesitation and didn't even feel sad. Not that he wanted her to pine for him. He himself didn't mope around and barely felt lost or betrayed. How could he blame her for leaving when it was clear that they wanted very different things? It would be best they go their separate ways. What he couldn't wrap his brain around was why he allowed her to enter his life so many times after she proved nothing but that she has no compunction about leaving him to die. He thought they were friends. He is not that kind of Alpha who takes hierarchy extremely seriously. He sees the Betas as equals and sometimes his subordinates as every military officer would do. Freddie was his Beta and he saw him as his brother. He can still feel the pain of losing his friend and his brother.

He was almost sure that he'd live alone and die alone by himself, but now he might have a chance of happiness with his mate, his Danny. He's beyond excited now.

God, please. Please, please. Let Danny be my mate. Please. 

*

"You stupid dragon-headed Alpha!" The moment Steve enters HQ, he hears Danny yelling at him. That's really soothing, Steve thinks to himself. That's how far gone he is on his partner. He can't help the stupid smile spread across his face.

"How dare you disappear on me again!!" Danny growls at him, his hands on his hips, looking rather like a pissed man who has been waiting for his unaccounted-for husband.

"I miss you too, Danny," Steve says with a huge goofy smile, trying to placate his miffed partner. If he's learned anything during these years, it's that Danny loves his goofy grin, even when he's annoyed. "And I left you a note." He sounds super innocent, though he knows that note he left is another reason Danny gets so pissed at him. He sighs inwardly. If he knew at that time what he was told... 

"Oh, a note!" Danny levels a finger at him. "Which only has two words. Wing Conference." Danny throws up both of his hands and goes into full-on ranting mode. "How was I supposed to do with that? Would it kill you to tell me in person? Obstinate dragons. I can't believe I have put up with you for years."

Steve's smile grows bigger. Well, his potential mate is definitely not that docile kind of Wyverns he met with before. But he loves him all the more. This kind of pure Danny-ish energy makes him buoyant every day. 

"Why are you smiling at me like this?" Danny asks him suspiciously with his eyes narrowed and his lips - oh, Danny's lips. Steve finds himself staring at Danny's lips like an idiot. But all what he can think about is that if Danny were a dragon, he's definitely gonna taste those lips. What would it feel like pressing his own against those rosy lips? But his little fantasy is interrupted by Danny who must think Steve's an idiot too, and who is jabbing his finger at the big Alpha's chest. "Do not ever disappear on me again! Steve! I mean it! Even if you're a dragon, you're stronger, and maybe you think you're invincible, which is the proof that you are thickheaded, but I'm your partner. We watch out for each other. How am I supposed to have your back if I don't know where you go or what you're up to?"

If he were not in love with this guy, he would fall for him hard right now. Steve never had one person in his life who chooses to have his back - not because of the orders they followed. He always takes care of himself, knowing nobody else would do that. And to be honest, Steve can totally get used to being loved and cared for by this man. 

"Sorry for worrying you, Danny," Steve says sincerely. 

It's clearly not what Danny expected to hear, for he stares at Steve wordlessly, with his finger frozen in the act of jabbing at his chest. He looks stupidly adorable in Steve's eyes. He blinks at Steve for a few times, then sighs, "OK. Finally something we agree on." 

Steve takes the advantage and grabs Danny's hand, the one still on his chest. "I'll tell you everything from now on. If it's classified, I'll just tell you so. And I won't disappear without telling you when I'm due back."

"That's a hell of a promise, babe," Danny says, unconvinced. "Considering your track record, it's always classified." 

"Then you need to keep in mind that I'll always come back to you." Steve looks into his eyes, trying to convey his sincerity. 

"Okay, what's wrong with you? What did you do this time? Why do you sound sappy? Have you been deployed to some classified place?" 

"No! Nothing's wrong. Danny you're thinking too much." Steve drapes his long arm around Danny's shoulders. "I'm going to treat you to dinner. I'll even take the check. What would you like?"

"Anything? Any restaurant?" Danny asks him suspiciously, his head tilted.

"Anything you want."


	2. Chapter 2

Guess what, even Tony and his Alpha Drake - an intimidating former Marine - were with NCIS when Tony emerged, they didn't have time to meet all of the Alphas in the Navy and Marine at once. And Steve's totally cool with it. Yeah, since Steve met Danny, he hasn't really paid much attention to the events related to the emergence. Except the mandatory attendance at Wing meetings, his focus has been on one certain person - Danny. It's not really his fault that he didn't know all the changes in the dragon world. Well, OK, he's dragon enough to admit that it's his fault, partially at most. He should've kept up with current events, after all he's a member of that. But what could he do? Honestly, he didn't have that much time to do that. As how Danny puts it, Steve has been trying his best to monopolize all Danny's free time. Lately even when Danny has Grace with him, Steve can still find a way of insinuating himself into their plans. They're virtually within arm's reach of each other the whole time. They work together, hang out together and sometimes crash under the same roof. And it's really not that hard for Steve to convince Danny that it's practical for them to sleep at Steve's place when they are in the middle of a gruesome case. It's really a waste of time to stop at Danny's to drop him off and then to pick him up the following morning when they can simply drive to Steve's and hit the sack. Since they are the elite law enforcement led by an alpha dragon, they always get the grueling cases, which means that they basically spend all their time together. That has Danny bitching about Steve being a control freak who takes great pleasure in controlling one Danny Williams' life. Steve would never admit it, but this prospect of intertwining their lives sounds extremely appealing to him.

Steve recalls Tony stopping him after the meeting and asking him why he hadn't been at any gathering before. He found Tony's charm very familiar before it struck him that Tony had been a cop as Danny. That was why he felt Tony unusually attractive while he stared at the Wyvern, unfazed by the death glares his Alpha shooting his way. He felt he could totally understand this Alpha Drake. If Danny were his mate, Steve was absolutely sure that he'd be growling at a lot of people every single day. That's the worst part about your mate being ridiculously, unnaturally charming. 

He told Tony that he had been a SEAL and on missions all the time. He said he had been focused on his career. Tony smiled at this and swatted at his mate fondly as if he tried to tell the older Alpha something, though the former marine only gave a grunt. 

"So what had your whole attention after you went back to Hawaii?" 

He remembers he blushed when Tony asked him this question teasingly, looking like he was very certain that he already knew the answer. Without waiting for a reply, Tony went on and told Steve bluntly in a very serious voice that Steve had already met his mate. He gaped at Tony, blinking, as his mind involuntarily drifting to one motor-mouth blond. Dimly he heard that silver-haired man gently tell his Wyvern that he should ease into this subject. And all he could think of was Danny, Danny, Danny. He must have said it out loud, because the bonded couple were smiling at him with the twin knowing expressions.

He rambled on. "Danny. My partner. He was a cop like you. He works with me now. We have been partners for years. I never fell for anybody before I met him. I thought he's human and I can't have him as my intended. But I like spending all my time with him. He said I'm a control freak, but I think he likes me too. Danny is my mate? My Danny?" For the first time in his whole life Steve just couldn't stop speaking. He must've spent so much time with Danny that he tapped into his inner Danny this easily.

He heard the couple chuckle. Steve had never felt more embarrassed before. 

"Okay, super SEAL, just calm down."

Steve laughed. "Danny calls me that too."

Tony rolled his eyes and told him to go back to his mate. They suggested that he talk with Danny first and offered to come to Hawaii to help them if Danny chooses to emerge. 

Steve left, giddy with bliss. Not until he was already on the plane, did he finally realize that they hadn't told him why Danny could choose to emerge or not and why they could help. Steve buried his face in his hands. He could tell if ever Danny hears about this, he'd never let Steve live it down. Especially if Danny is his mate. He'd hear no end of it after they bond. This should be very embarrassing, but in fact he thought he likes the idea of being teased by his Danny for how stupidly elated he became after he was told that Danny might be his mate.

*

Steve watches Danny busy cutting his steak, feeling the same satisfaction whenever he came back to his Danny and saw him safe with his own two eyes. He hates to leave Danny. If Danny turns out to be his mate, they won't be separated again. 

"You're my favorite," Danny says through a mouthful of mashed potato. "This is amazing!"

He pats Steve's hand affectionately before he goes back to enjoying his food. Steve used to be very fussy about anyone touching him even when he was in human form. But he is starved for Danny's touch. 

Steve steals a few glances at Danny and feels it better to wait until his friend is mellowed by greasy (unhealthy) food. That will put Danny in a much better mood. 

"You are the worst date, Steve!" Danny suddenly sighs before he gives Steve a wicked smile. "You didn't even listen to me. But the food is amazing, so I forgive you." 

"You think this is a date?" Steve stutters. He can't believe what he just heard.

"Why not?" Danny asks with his brow lifted. "Come to think of it, we started dating almost within a month of meeting each other. We hang out together. We go out for dinner together. Practically we have dated a lot." The blond chuckles before he continues. "And figure in the times when you dragged me around the island against my will. Sometime I really wish you were a vampire instead of a dragon. Then you'd be burnt into flames in the bright sunlight, which means you wouldn't take such pleasure in dragging me to some jungle with some unpronounceable name or into the ocean. Even you know I'd get sunburned in the sun within a few minutes!"

"I brought you sun block every time," Steve says with his wounded puppy face. "I coated your skin with the lotion myself! I'm sure you won't get sunburned in a million years!"

Danny feels an irrepressible smile tug at his mouth, but he forces himself to put on a straight face nonetheless. It's his job to make puppy/dragon Steve understand that he can't get away every time he pulls this cute face with his wounded puppy eyes. Dragon or not, nobody should look this good. Even it's an irritatingly attractive good look on his face. Oh, he's so doomed! Danny thought his feelings for Steve would become less intense over the years. He keeps telling himself he will get over Steve eventually and he will learn to love him as a friend or a brother. He thought he's not going to pine from afar and want someone who he can't have. For God's sake! Steve is a dragon, an Alpha to top it off. They can't be together as lovers. He's so screwed! He's gonna spend all his life pining for his best friend.

Danny really wants to smack his head on the table to remind himself that Steve is his best friend, that they joke around, but they can't be together. But how can he resist that boyish smile on Steve's face? Instead of doing anything to embarrass himself, he says, "That's not the point, Steve!" 

Smiling brightly at Danny who is waving his arms while talking enthusiastically, Steve is thinking about ordering some unhealthy but sweet dessert. He makes a mental note to give Gracie a huge stuffed dragon which she likes as a gift to thank her for her valuable intel on Danny. Gracie is right. One of the ways to soothe an angry Danny or to cheer Danny up is through his stomach.

It always makes Steve uncomfortable when Danny eats something unhealthy. He's kinda obsessed about Danny's health. But if Danny's a dragon, his arteries aren't going to harden. Okay. Dessert it is!

"Do you want some dessert? The pie is good here."

Danny perks up visibly. Steve grins at his partner helplessly. He has a feeling that Danny will get along with Jim Ellison who is known for his fondness for unhealthy food. Both of them are the biggest pizza fans he's ever known. Steve can easily picture a future in which he would be giving Danny the endless lecture about the importance of healthy eating habits. Just as what Blair does every day. 

"Babe," Danny says a couple of minutes later after he clears his plate, "can you stop torturing the poor pie on your plate? You have reduced it to crumbs."

Steve looks down at the unrecognizable pie and sighs quietly. He has been pushing his virtually untouched food around his plate and he still hasn't asked Danny those delicate questions. 

Well, feel free to call him a coward, for he hasn't gathered his nerve to talk with Danny about the emergence. What if Danny doesn't want to be his mate? What if Danny doesn't even like him? He can't bear the thought of Danny not wanting him.

 

*

"I have an apartment even if you think it's a shit. And this is not my home."

"I have beers. Besides I haven't seen you for days." Steve pulls his best innocent face, looking at Danny pleadingly. He wants to tell Danny that he drove straight to HQ from the airport instead of stopping by his home because he missed him so much. But this can wait. He doesn't want to scare Danny away.

Danny sighs, much put upon. He follows Steve into the house and Steve notices the unmistakable fond smile on his face. He suddenly realizes that Danny always smiles like this at him. Maybe Danny is as happy and content to be with him as he is. 

"Did you ever think about being a dragon?" Steve asks as casually as he can.

"No, not really," Danny says, eyes on the ocean. What's the point in dwelling on something that will never happen? It only makes him sadder. He sighs, feeling something important missing from his soul. He is too despondent to catch the sad look on Steve's face.

"Why not?"

Danny turns his head around. "Don't wanna be hijacked by some crazy dragon." Danny smiles and jokes, "especially don't wanna be hijacked by you twice."

"Why? Why me? Why not me?"

Danny's brow furrows in a way which says "you're an idiot and why do you ask these stupid questions". "Okay, I know I'm good at translating your poorly phrased words. So what you really asked is why the first person that came into my mind was you and why I don't wanna bond with you."

Steve nods.

"Steve, you're the only dragon I know well. Of course you are the first one that immediately sprang to my mind. I heard that dragons mate for life. Spending my whole life with a trigger-happy adrenaline junkie is not good for my sanity."

"You don't like spending time with me?" Steve sounds hurt, a lost look on his face. "You want to leave me some day?" His voice betrays a hint of great sadness. He turns his head away, averting his eyes.

"Oh! God! Of course no. I'll never leave you. You big goof. I'm sure we're stuck with each other." Danny grabs Steve's hand and runs his hand up and down Steve's arm, trying to reassure his friend. "I - I just never thought about it before."

"Why not?" 

Danny shrugs. "It's just a habit. My mom's family was from Italy and they don't like talking about dragons. When I grew up, my dad was busy at work. So, you know, we just didn't talk much about dragons at home and it became a habit."

"Your family doesn't like dragons? They don't like me?"

"Oh my god!" Danny throws up both of his hands. "I never said they don't like you. Are you damaged in your dragon head?"

"So they like me?" Steve asks tentatively, but Danny can hear the hope in his voice and feel his eyes on his face. He can't stop the smile from spreading across his own face.

"Well, babe, you're very... Likable." 

Danny's smile becomes mischievous when he sees Steve - an Alpha dragon - pouting at him. "Very lovable," he adds, winking at Steve, who risks something that looks very like a blush.


	3. Chapter 3

After spending several hours tossing and turning, Steve feels he needs to find a way of continuing his little talk with Danny. He needs to be sure. He needs to have the certainty that Danny wants him as much as he does him and Danny will be happily bonded with him. Because to him Danny's happiness is far more important than his. If his Danny won't be his happy mated Wyvern, he'd rather have Danny as his happy partner. 

Steve sighs deeply. He rolls off the bed and goes outside. Lying on the beach and staring at the twinkling stars, Steve wonders why he never found love such a tricky wicked thing before he met Danny. And it's even more so for the dragons, for there's only one mate for you in the whole universe. And that would be a lot of pain to deal with if a dragon finds his mate but is rejected by him. He's gonna turn into a miserable wreck, if Danny rejects him. Better to be sure before he asks Danny to bond with him. 

"This is really ridiculous," Steve mutters. How on earth did those Alphas who found their mate succeed in courting him? Oh, he's getting stupid. There was the gathering and there wasn't such a thing as some Alpha's courtship of his mate. 

Love does make an Alpha foolish. Or is it just him being a hopeless romantic?

He only wants Danny to be happy and content. That should be what everyone in love wants. Right?

Watching the sun peeking over the horizon, Steve decides he needs a real plan of action. He loves plans.

Steve changes into his swim trunks and goes for his morning swim. If he times it well, when Danny comes to pick him up, he'll catch sight of Steve dripping wet. He knows that Danny secretly loves seeing Steve like this. Chuckling contentedly, Steve takes great delight in imagining what Danny would look like with those Omega scales. It would be a fascinating sight to behold. And whatever color Danny's scales are, he'd turn out to be one of the most beautiful Wyverns. He might be a small one as well. Definitely much smaller than Steve is.

He's experiencing an explosion of happiness at the thought that he'd curl around his Wyvern, his Danny, their tails entwined and his head on the back of Danny's neck. Nudging Danny gently and affectionately with his snout. Comforting and protecting his smaller mate.

He's feeling as giddy as a teenager who suddenly finds his arms full of his first crush.

*

"Steve you're late!" Danny shouts out as he pushes open the door to the lanai and then stops dead in his tracks.

His lean, dark, gorgeous partner is wading out of the water. The way Steve gazes at him when he's wet with droplets glistening on his Alpha scales makes his heart stop. Now he's certain that he's cursed with this goof forever, for he is acting as someone who's under a spell and he seems unable to take his eyes off Steve's smooth skin and his matte scales. Steve strides toward him and beams at him, his sparkling eyes intent on Danny's. Danny finds himself grinning back stupidly. He's seen Steve's Alpha scales everyday, but he's never found it so mesmerizing. He gawks at them like he's hypnotized. He knows that every Alpha hates to be touched by people even in his human form. It's an unspoken taboo. Nobody wants to anger an Alpha dragon, but now he very much wants to put his hands on Steve's body, to feel him. The contrast between Steve's matte scales and the glinting drops of water running down across them is just sinful and Danny itches to touch Steve reverently. To worship him.

He swallows hard but refuses to give into his desire. He clears his throat. "Um, I was waiting in my car and you didn't show up, so I came in to check on you."

Steve closes the distance between them in an instant and flashes Danny a suspiciously mischievous grin. Then before Danny, who's blinking up at his partner, can respond in any possible way, Steve pounces on Danny playfully. He grabs his shoulders and pulls him into a tight hug. He drapes himself all over Danny, making Danny half soaked.

"What are you? Five?" Danny is not squeaking at all. 

Steve presses his wet body against Danny's, laughing unrepentantly. Danny pushes at him, not very hard, mainly to keep up appearances. 

"You childish dragon! Let me go!" Danny is not screaming and laughing like a bride who is swept up by her groom.

In the end, they just laugh together, chasing each other, determined to get the other soaked to the skin.

"We're really late for work Steve," Danny says in a soft voice, lying on the beach next to his friend. He's still catching his breath, his soggy clothes clinging to his body. 

"I'm not supposed to be due back until tomorrow," Steve mumbles with a pout. He rolls around toward Danny, his chin propped on his hand, beaming down at his partner. "If you don't have a case, call your boss and take the day off," he suggests, his eyes glinting with glee. 

*

"So you are not object to being a dragon?" Steve asks him hopefully.

Danny looks at him, thinking what the hell. Why do they have to talk about this again? Why can't Steve just drop it? "Not object to it," Danny whispers. Steve wants to be excited, but the conflicting emotions warring on Danny's face make him bite his tongue and wait in painful silence. He shoots multiple glances Danny's way, trying to get a read on him. Has he got it all wrong? Steve feels it harder to breathe with every passing second. God! He's a dragon. He can breathe under every severe circumstance. But he still feels more panicked and terrified right now. If Danny doesn't say something, anything soon, he might have to pull over and try to get his breath even out in order to avoid humiliating himself in front of Danny by throwing up or hyperventilating. That would be a disaster and Danny would never fall in love with someone like that. 

It takes Danny a long while to open his mouth again. He lets out a sigh. "I'm okay with being a dragon, but I don't overly love the idea of bonding with an Alpha and having to stay with him. It feels like I'm sentenced to life without parole and maybe with a not so lovable inmate. No matter where he might go, I have to follow. If he's a soldier, I might have to follow him into a war zone. And nobody would know when I would come back to my family. I might never see Grace... And you again. I'd like to stay near you guys."

The hurt look on Steve's good-looking face changes into a brilliant smile immediately. His Danny admits that he doesn't want to leave him and Grace. He said he wants to stay with them. Grace is his world. And for a very very long time, Danny lives for her. And now he puts Steve's name in the same sentence with Grace's. Even Danny doesn't love him as much as he does Grace, at least he is the second important people in his life. Now he's so blissfully happy that he conveniently forgets the "don't love the idea of bonding with an Alpha" part. 

He nods curtly, impossible to talk right now. Danny looks at him incredulously when Steve gives him a boyish smile, looking shy but content.

"I really don't understand why you're grinning at me like an idiot, but that's fine. I want you to be happy. That's all that matters." Danny gives a resigned shrug, but an answering smile lifts the corners of his mouth.

"Me too," Steve says hastily. "Want you to be happy."


	4. Chapter 4

"Tell me you're not serious," Danny mutters, contemplating the boat berthed in front of him. "Why do you think this is a good idea?"

"Come on, Danny," Steve pleads with his puppy eyes, offering his hand. "I borrowed it from a friend. I was thinking about what you said yesterday. That we have been on date a lot of times."

Danny takes his hand and jumps onto the deck before he cuts Steve off. "Why do I have a bad feeling that this won't be going well? Stuck with you in a small boat which will be floating in open salt water under a brilliant sun. I don't need to be a vampire to end up aflame in a few minutes."

"Danny, don't be all negative! This will be fun. And vampires don't exist."

Danny shoots him a glare. "Blowing things up is fun to you. It's obvious that we have very different definitions of fun!"

Steve flashes him another goofy grin and digs into his bag until he produces a tube of sunblock. "See, I told you I bring you sunblock every time," Steve says proudly and squirts a large blob of lotion onto his palm, then he meticulously smooths the cream over Danny's cheekbones. "Don't worry. I take care of you."

Watching Danny's face blushing scarlet, Steve's grin becomes more dazzling. Yeah, this is his plan. He wants alone time with Danny. Better some area without cell reception. It sounds a little insane, but he intends to take time, get Danny relaxed and content before he confesses his love for Danny and asks him if the attraction is mutual. He planed it all out. Goddamnit! But he's still a nervous wreck right now.

After carefully coating Danny's neck and arms with the protective lotion, Steve nods at the cabin and starts the engine. "There's a cooler in it. I stocked it up with beers and water."

_This will work out. This will work out. This will work out._

Those three words keep looping over and over in Steve's mind and the Alpha feels his mental computer has apparently suffered a fatal error and is frozen on the blue screen of death face. He would have made some wisecracking, except his brain still has yet to reboot. 

As if Danny can read his mind, he puts his hand on his forearm and asks him in a soft voice, "Are you alright, babe?"

Steve holds Danny's gaze. OK, showtime. Say something funny and smartass to lighten up and then ease into the topic.

"I love you, Danny. I want to spend my whole life with you. Not just as a friend." OMG, what did he just say?

Danny chokes on the beer and starts coughing. Steve curses under his breath. Well, this is really smooth! What the hell! He has it all planed out! He was supposed to take time to make up to Danny first, but his brain wasn't working.

Steve scrabbles at Danny's shoulder and pats his back gently. "Sorry, Danny. I --"

Danny stares at his with his bleary eyes. "You're sorry for loving me?"

"No!" Steve cries out in a horrified voice.

Danny can't help but take pity on him. The blond smiles fondly. "I love you too, babe. I've kept telling you that, haven't I? Don you think I told every partner of mine that I love him on a daily basis?"

"No?"

"I've been gone on you for years. Thank you for telling me your feelings for me. I believe they are true. But we can't be together. And you'll move on one day. You have to. I'd rather to be in your life, even as a mere friend. I don't want to lose you."

"Danny! Listen to me. We can be together. Otherwise I won't risk our friendship. You are the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. You're too important for me to not care. I don't want some casual hookups. I want a future with you."

Danny's eyes widen at this. He's been in love with this man for years, convinced that there's no possibility. Right now, Steve is not only telling him that he loves him too, but that there is a possibility. This is too good to be true, Danny thinks.

"Danny. Do you want to be with me if we can be together all your lifetime?" Steve grabs his hands and gives them a squeeze.

"Yes, but how?" Danny's brow furrows and he looks completely confused.

"What if I tell you that you are a Wyvern and we can bond for life? Do you want to spend your life with me?"

"What? How do you know? I - I love you, but I have Grace to think about. I can't up and leave and I know how important your career means for you."

"You're more important than that. I already completed the form of my resignation from the Naval Reserve. If you choose me, I will file it and leave the Navy. You're my priority. You are the only thing that matters to me. I had focused on my career before I met you, because I had nothing in my life other than my career and my duty as a dragon. But now, you and Grace come first, then the Wing. Anything else means nothing to me!"

Steve stares into the most beautiful blue eyes. Privately, he thinks dumbfounded is truly a good look for Danny.

He waits patiently. He's willing to give Danny everything, but he doesn't want to force or guilt-trip him into choosing him. Nothing is more important right now for him than to reassure Danny that he has a choice. It should be that Danny wants to choose him and that Danny wants him because of who he is.

Finally, Danny finds his voice. "That's a huge sacrifice, babe. You've been in the Navy for more than two decades. I'm really touched, but you don't need to --"

"Be my mate, my intended, the only one in my life who has my heart. Please? If you want." Steve puts Danny's hand on his chest, heart in his eyes.

Danny's own heart pounding, he can feel his face flush with heat. Everything he wants but never dared to hope for is right in front of him, waiting for him to say the word. All he needs to do is to accept it and choose the man he has loved for years. Every cell in his body is screaming at him and urging him to say yes, to let this man love him, but he still doesn't believe that Steve really loves and wants him.

"Do you want me because that I might be a Wyvern?"

"Danny!" Steve yelps, a fretful look on his face, "I was sure that I was going to live a celibate life because I thought I couldn't have you. I had to satisfy myself in platonically dating you forever. Do you think I choose you because I suddenly found out that you're a dragon? I had been drawn to you and pining for you long before I was told we can be together."

Danny lets out a sigh of relief. His heart has been beating so rapidly, it felt like about to explode. He knows that he's inclined to assume the worst. It's a lifelong habit for Danny of getting reeling down into worry, negative thinking. He never believed that he'd luck out one day and have someone like Steve. Some dragon like Steve. Someone with whom he's in love. He just needs to hear Steve tell him that he wants him, not a would be Wyvern, but Danny. Maybe this time he gets lucky.

"Okay, easy, big guy," Danny says guiltily. "Yes, I want you. I must have lost my mind, because you're able to drive me crazy and get on my nerves every day, but I love you nonetheless and want nothing more than to spend every second of my life with you. I just need to ask. You know me."

"All negative thinking?" Steve teases and finally smiles. He reaches his hand out to pull Danny into a gentle hug. He lands a kiss on Danny's hair and murmurs, "All I want is your presence in my life. I have been in love with you for so long without any hope."

Danny feels the familiar fondness for this man welling up inside him. Steve is right. They have been drawn to each other from the moment they met. They haven been inseparable and everyone sees the attraction between them. They have already chosen each other even when they were convinced that they were longing for something they thought they couldn't have. The lack of hope has been torturing both of them, but neither of them chose to leave or move on.

They sit down on the deck, cuddling each other. Danny leans back and rests his head against Steve's shoulder as Steve, with an adorable, almost shy smile, tells him that when he was told he had already met his mate, all the Alpha could think about was Danny, and that he must have said it out loud. Steve looks endearingly embarrassed, as if he is waiting for Danny to laugh at him. Danny beams at him lovingly and pecks a chaste kiss on his cheek.

Still a little dazed, Danny asks quietly, "This is for real? I feel like hallucinating or dreaming right now. Like if I poke you hard, you'll disappear and I wake up in my bed."

"I'm sure all doubts will be wiped away after we bond." Steve presses his cheek against Danny's hair and breathes in the intoxicating scent. He always finds Danny's scent soothing and that somehow it grounds him.

"How will we go about it?"

"Bonding?" Steve mumbles, his voice drowsy.

Danny rolls his eyes at his partner who's clearly unable to stop that goofy grin. "Yeah, bonding. What the hell else am I talking about? Steve, stop messing with my hair!"

Reluctantly pulling himself away from Danny's hair, Steve tries to mask his flushing face, embarrassed to be caught. "I'll give Tony a call. He and his Alpha will fly in and help us."

They sit in silence, cuddling closer and twining their fingers together. It's the first time that they dare to touch each other and show affection without feeling hopeless.

"Wait," Steve puts a hand on Danny's shoulder. "I hear something." He whips around, grab the rail and stares into the distance. "Donald Logan, the arm dealer we're after."

"You hear and see him from here?" Danny nearly chokes. "Never mind. Dragons' enhanced senses."

Steve studies the boat far from them with a look of determination which always means headache for Danny.

"No, Steve!" Danny says firmly.

Steve turns his head to him, pouting at his partner. "I haven't said a single word!"

"Well, I'm quite familiar with how your brain works. So, no!" Danny levels a finger at him, when Steve looks like about to protest. "Uh huh, you know I'm not bluffing."

With a pout, Steve turns his attention back to the boat. "There are only three men on board. We have a great chance of catching them."

"I said this is a bad idea. We need to call in backup."

Steve mutters something almost unintelligible.

"You gotta be kidding me, right? You told them we'll maintain radio silence for the day?" Danny throws up his hands in exasperation.

"Danny! I planned on proposing to you today. Well, the dragon version of proposal. The last thing I need is something to interrupt us."

"And you wonder why I said being stuck with you is bad for my sanity! We're not going there, are we?" Danny asks, pointing at the other boat in the distance, but all he gets from Steve is a fantastically goofy grin.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny breaches the ocean surface, spitting out water and coughing. He reaches up to push his wet hair back from his face to rub and wipe his eyes, totally unaware of the long strong tail wrapped around his waist protectively. 

"You stupid stubborn dragon!" Danny growls before he coughs again. "I told you to call in backup! I told you not to pursue a heavily armed gunrunner who has the same interest in blowing things up just like you! I want a divorce!"

The huge midnight dragon turns his big head to his partner. Danny swears dragon Steve is sulking and pouting at him. He looks like he feels hard done by being yelled by his unemerged mate.

Danny glares at sulking dragon Steve and refuses to find him cute. You have to be firm with puppies, right? 

"Steve! Don't give me the puppy eyes! If I end up in the middle of nowhere and maybe I have to swim back, I have a right to ask for a divorce." Danny is in full ranting mode now, both of his hands knifing through the air. "I said that small pathetic boat wasn't made for chasing after bad guys. It was not a coast guard cutter! Guess what? It exploded! And where's our suspect?" Danny makes a show of bringing his index finger down, pointing directly at the water. "He may lie on the bottom of the ocean right now, or parts of him might end up tasty treats for fish."

Danny pokes at Steve's tail. "Let go! I can swim. I won't get drown! You're on probation right now. I need to rethink about your proposal. And stop pouting at me!" 

Feeling his face burn, Danny realizes that this is the first time that he comes in direct contact with Steve in his dragon form. He has seen him like this before, but he has always made sure he was staying clear of dragon Steve.

With effort, Danny tries to keep the straight face and meets Steve's gaze. Seeing love and no small amount of protectiveness in those eyes, Danny feels a smile steal across his face against his will. He saw them a lot of times before, but he forced himself not to read too much into things and chalked all those up to Steve's protective instincts. Now he knows those soft looks and sweet smiles are what Steve reserves just for him.

Patting Steve's tail, Danny tries to sound noncommittal. "I'd say you are going to have a huge crick in your neck if you keep craning your head around to stare at me. How about that you uncoil your tail and I promise I won't swim away. In fact do you really think it possible I'd succeed in swimming away from you when you're in this form? You probably don't even to need to move to yank me back."

Danny feels dragon Steve just flash him a goofy grin, more dazzling than those he gives him when he's in human form. Steve lets him go tentatively with a grumble while watching Danny carefully as if Danny would go under the moment he stops holding him up.

Danny rolls his eyes at his goofy friend and swims towards Steve. "See, I can swim. Hope this would put to rest your comments that I can’t swim." Treading water to keep himself afloat, Danny looks around. "You think we should wait for someone to stumble upon us? Babe, you can change back now."

Danny keeps babbling, trying to assess the situation, as Steve keeps track of his every movement, which is exactly someone who finally has his heart's desire and fears to lose it again would do.

"Nobody even knows that we are out in the ocean!" Danny mutters after he finds there's not a single boat in sight. "You know why? Because my stupid partner felt it unnecessary to call in backup or call our teammates!"

Sulky dragon Steve lets out a low plaintive whine before he lowers his huge head. His eyes look sad and wounded. And Danny definitely does not find his dragon partner endearing. 

Steve whimpers again. Danny swears it sounds like Steve is sobbing and he's the bad guy who kicks a puppy because he's upset. 

"Okay, it's not all your fault," Danny relents, resigning himself to the fact that those soft brown puppy eyes get him every time. He strokes Steve a little, wondering why dragon Steve is still able to pull that cute face. It's not natural. Really. How does a huge intimidating dragon manage to look like a kicked puppy? "Just never throw yourself in front of me again to cover my body with your own." Danny pats Steve again, watching the whole dragon face light up. Danny smiles at his partner helplessly.

It doesn't even take long for Danny to realize that Steve is still in his dragon form. He doesn't know much about dragons, but he knows that an injured dragon will never shift. The mere thought of Steve getting hurt is killing him and he can't hide the concern in his panicked voice. "Why can't you change back? What's wrong?"

He scrabbles frantically at every part of Steve's huge body he can reach. "Babe, are you injured?" He's openly distraught with worry. Danny swims close to Steve's head, running his hands over the warm scales, carefully checking for any injury. 

"Can you fly? Why don't you fly back to the shore?" Looking up at dragon Steve, Danny notes that Steve seems to have a concerned look on his face. "I'm fine, babe. Let me check your wings. Are they okay?"

Danny strokes one of Steve's wings and mumbles, "this one looks fine. How about the other one? Did it get hurt?" Danny lifts his eyes to Steve's and finds his expression soften.

"Oh, no. You goof, you don't need to keep me company in the middle of ocean. You fly back to alert them and then let them get me back. OK?" Danny asks in a wheedling voice, hoping he could talk Steve into taking care of himself first.

But the answer looks like a no, for dragon Steve shakes his head and stares at him imploringly. 

"You gotta be kidding me! Don't tell me you plan to wait for the rescue with me in this form while you're injured and you don't even let me see your wounds. I know you guys heal quickly, but if you still can't shift back now, it must be bad." 

"Okay, fine!" Danny throws up his hands in frustration. "You're huge and it's easier to spot you. But you have wounds! You need to get attended to, not babysitting me or floating beside me!"

Well the answer is still no. Steve's head is suddenly very close to his face and without thinking Danny strokes his snout lovingly. "I'm worried about you, Steve. I need you to be fine." 

Steve nudges Danny gently with a soft grunt, which gets him a smile in response.

"You big goof. Why do I even love you?" Danny snuggles against him, feeling safe and warm, even he's in the middle of endless ocean and has no idea when the rescue will arrive.


	6. Chapter 6

 

It takes more than a week for Steve to realize that he's nesting. He has been preparing for his "honeymoon" which means "unable to take their hands off each other or making out like horny teenagers for days." God. Danny would definitely keep ribbing him for his lack of observation skills.

He has been storing food which is enough to feed his whole SEAL team. And he kept buying some stupid cushions and blankets which he never spared a glance at before. His whole living room looks like a nest now. He stares at his new, wide and extremely cozy couch which is buried by a heap of cushions and blankets. He can almost hear Danny bitching about how obtuse he is. He even made a point of picking that obscenely soft couch which he's sure once you sink into it, it's nearly impossible to extract yourself. At least that was what the seller told him.

In all his defense, he has been busy groveling a lot to get back in Danny's good graces. After they were unfortunately stranded in the open ocean, somehow he managed to get Danny even madder when they were on another case. Danny was so furious at him that he even threatened to rethink his decision to accept Steve's proposal. He knew Danny wouldn't really reject him, though he was sure he was in the doghouse this time.

So, this is perhaps not that surprising he didn't notice it at all. And he forgot to call Tony. Completely forgot it. He has not even given that another thought all week.

His dragon has been restless for days. He feels jittery and tense. It only occurs to him at that moment when Danny storms into his house that his mate might have been emerging and he has been preparing for it.

After watching Danny barge into his house without knocking, as if it's his own, as if he belongs here, - okay, if he's honest, he truly hopes Danny would see this house as his home - and slump down on the couch, sink into the heap of cushions and even pull a blanket up without sparing a second to think about it, he knows that it all clicks together.

His brain becomes offline immediately. Thoughts of Danny emerging, being his mate and they mating are addling his brain. He gawks at Danny with his mouth open, trying to understand what his partner is saying.

He thought Wyverns tend to feel sick or weak in their early phases of emerging. Why on earth is Danny this energetic? 

It kills him not knowing whether Danny has pre scales. Damn stupid tailored shirt. He hasn't got a glimpse of Danny's back since he accepted his proposal. It would be totally unacceptable and rather low if he gets themselves somehow ending up in mud during a pursuit just in oder to see Danny's naked body in the shower. It's kinda not right.

"Steve, you are not listening."

"Sorry." He is jolted out of his brooding.

"Never mind," Danny mutters weakly, sinking further down into the blanket. "I'm taking sick leave. Just so you know."

"What? You don't feel well?" Steve jumps to his feet and scurries towards Danny. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Danny cracks open his eyes and looks at Steve who already squats beside the couch. "I'm mad at you."

"How long have you been feeling poorly?"

"A few days. I got a cold and it's all your fault."

Steve puts his hand on Danny's forehead. "You have a fever, Danny."

"That's why I'm going to take some days off. Go away. I just need some sleep."

Danny turns around, his back to Steve, and pulls the blanket over his head until there's only a mop of messy blond hair visible. "Go away! I don't like you right now." The muffled voice comes from underneath.

Steve swallows hard, trying to process the whole situation. Danny's emerging. At least he looks like emerging. And he touched the emerging Danny. He dimly remembers that he's not supposed to touch any emerging Wyvern. But Danny is not any random Wyvern. He's his Danny, his Wyvern. God, he feels his brain is overloaded now.

He reaches his hand out without thought and pulls down the blanket despite Danny's grumbled protests, before he crooks his finger around the collar to pull Danny's shirt down.

"Can't breathe Steve! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Sorry," Steve stammers, looking flustered. "Danny, I'll go get you some comfortable clothes. You're not sleeping in your stupid so-called professional attire."

Danny only grunts an acknowledgement. Though in fact he hides his smile against the back of the couch when he listens to Steve's light footfalls as he heads to his bedroom upstairs. He has been feeling poorly and lethargic, but knowing that he's safe here and Steve will take care of him makes it harder to stay awake. Dimly, he hears Steve hurrying back. He tries to open his eyes or put on the sweat pants and one of Steve's Navy cotton shirts himself. But he hasn't slept well for days, he really doesn't want to move a single muscle of his right now. So in the end he just lets Steve change his clothes for him. He yawns and mumbles a "Thanks" before he drifts off.

Steve gasps in shock. The pre scales almost reach the middle of Danny's back.

He should have noticed that. Despite the energetic appearance, Danny came to work with the dark circles under his eyes. He brushed it off, saying he had to think on how to finish their paperwork with some very creative stories. And Steve was so engrossed in soothing the angry Danny that he missed the signs.

He's always thought those tailored shirts and ties are ridiculous. He should've found out earlier if Danny didn't stick with his dressing habits.

Watching Danny's sleeping face, he sends Tony an email.

I think Danny's emerging.

_R u sure?_

Positive, but just found out. He was quite energetic. I missed the symptoms.

_Did you talk with him about dragon? Are you in a safe house right now?_

Yes and no. We're at my place. We talked about it and Danny said he wants me as well. We didn't get around to talking about it in details before all hell broke loose and I got Danny furious at me. I'm on probation right now. If I mention safe house and the reason he felt like a shit, he may breathe fire for real. And in my defense, he didn't sound like someone who feels poorly. He thought and told me he got a cold and it was because of what I did against his protests. He stormed into my house, yelled at me and crashed on my couch about half an hour ago.

_Hold fast, sailor. We'll be there in 12 hours._

Thx! I can't express enough my gratitude.

Steve's phone buzzes. It's Tony.

"You are definitely the most hopelessly romantic Alpha. I feel I have to call and tell you."

Steve can tell that Tony's quite amused while he's really happy for them. He can't help but smile himself. Distantly, Tony's Alpha Drake's voice is saying, "Just grab the guy and ask him if he loves him and wants to mate with him. It's a whole lot easier."

"Hey! A Wyvern needs to be indulged by his Alpha!" Steve hears Tony tell his mate firmly, a big grin on his face.

"Steve, you should move him somewhere defensible. Think about this. Is there anyone who knows your address, may drop by unannounced and would do anything to harm Danny if this person knows that Danny's your Wyvern?"

"God. You're right. I need to move him."

 


	7. Chapter 7

God, he needs to move Danny to a safe house asap. He got a call from Catherine last week out of blue. She asked him about the Wing conference. He didn't say much, for it was clear that she didn't has the security clearance to know the details. He didn't feel it suspicious or odd then. He thought that she only tried to get in touch again and he's not a man who never forgets a grudge. He wanted to have his friend back, even the last time they met, she made a hell of a scene. She was desperate, trying to entice him to mate. After she found out that he was still quite firm about that he had no interest, she threw a fit and left claiming she dumped him, as if she hadn't confessed her unending love for him and begged him to mate with her and let her stay with him forever. 

Steve doesn't have it in him to think her vicious or believe that she would deliberately try to harm Danny just because Danny is his intended. Whatever life has subsequently done to them, the idea that the intelligent, young woman whom he has known at Naval Academy since they were still teenagers can have turned into someone jealous enough to hurt his mate is almost unbelievable. But he can't afford the risk. Danny is so important for him that he has to assume the worst about people to keep Danny from harm. Danny is weak and vulnerable now. Until they mate and bond, Danny won't even have the ability to protect himself. 

Besides, there may be other people willing to hurt Danny to get at Steve. If some of them get wind of that... Steve forces himself to stop with that train of thought. He can't stand the thought of Danny getting hurt.

He locks the doors and checks the alarm system. Sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch, he holds Danny's hand and grounds himself with the sight and feel of Danny sleeping peacefully beside him. He'd do anything to keep it that way. He strokes Danny's damp hair, grinning at Danny's sleepy grumbled protests. He'd love to watch Danny sleeping for another hundred and more years. 

Waiting for Chin to pick them up, Steve's mind drifts to the fateful day when he met Danny. He had never seen a human so unyielding (and beautiful) under the gaze of an Alpha dragon. They trained their guns on each other for several minutes before they showed their badges. Danny was totally unfazed by him. And that alone was enough to have his attention and get on his nerves. Without thinking too much, he stole Danny's case and then made him his partner. 

Steve smiles at the memory of Danny's face flushing with anger when he found the arrogant dragon who had stolen his case had the audacity to come to his apartment and notify him that he officially became his partner. 

From that day, Steve's life was turned upside down by one Danny Williams. His dragon has been roaring with excitement. Danny never backs down from him when he tries to intimidate the blond into obeying his orders. And Danny definitely never lets him get away with any bullshit. Danny knows when to follow his lead without questioning it and when to challenge him and rein him in without hesitation. Danny is strong and loving. He takes care of people he loves. And he makes Steve feel safe whenever he's with Danny. Meanwhile there's the unmistakable intoxicating elation that he hadn't felt before he had Danny in his life. He longs for Danny's company and he likes to wind him up just to get his attention. He tries to spend every second with Danny and when he's alone or even when he's surrounded by a lot of people, without Danny around he literally feels the physical pain of missing something vital, left with a dull ache that will not disappear. 

He's amused every time Danny swears up and down that his life was peaceful and safe before Steve hijacked him into his team, for he's certain that Danny would never leave him alone. Even Danny keeps yelling at him for his propensity to throw himself into any risk and dangerous situation without a second thought, he still trusts Steve completely and follows him everywhere. He's sure Danny knows as well that Steve will follow him to hell if necessary.

The grumble of Chin's bike jolts him out of his reverie.

Steve leads him into the room. "I need you to check for bugs in the house before we talk. I have swept once, but I want to be sure."

Chin raises his brow in surprise but says nothing. He scans the house for any kind of surveillance device while Steve waits at the bottom of the stairs.

"So, what's going on?" Chin asks after it's all done, and his eyes are drawn to the Danny-shaped bundle on the couch.

"Danny's emerging. He's my mate. We need to move him to a safe place."

Chin doesn't seem the least surprised at this. "You think he's in danger? There's not even one kidnapping attempt on emerging Wyverns after DiNozzo's emergence. Besides we're probably at one of the friendliest places in the world. The islanders are very protective of their fellow dragons." 

"It's complicated. I got a phone call last week from Catherine. She asked about the Wing conference I attended. I'm not sure what she heard about, but I can't afford the risk of getting Danny hurt."

Chin smiles wryly. "It was quite a big drama last time she was in town. I think we should blame one certain irresistibly charming Alpha dragon for it."

Steve gives him an annoyed low grunt. "I have Danny. Why would I want to mate with anyone else?" 

"When everyone thought Danny was a human," Chin says with amusement. "Congrats, brah. Kono would be thrilled. How far along is he?"

"A week or so. We'll let her know after all is settled. And we don't need to hold the fort for too long. I called Tony. He's flying in with his Alpha to help us."

"You call him Tony?"

"Why not? He's very easy-going, though his Alpha is quite... Intimidating."

Chin snorts a laugh before he asks, "so we're going to the Center?"

"Not the one at Pearl. It's kinda Cath's territory." He pauses with a pained look. "I feel truly bad to think that she may try to hurt Danny. But I really can't take a chance."

Chin claps on his shoulder. "Nothing's more important than our mates."

Steve nods solemnly, then he flashes an almost shy smile when he says, "I'd like to take Danny home as soon as we bond." 

Chin looks around and chuckles. "I see you have been nesting, preparing your home for your mate." 

Steve ignores his friend's teasing observation and nudges Danny gently.

"Hmmm, Steve?" Danny's voice is husky with sleep.

"Time to get up, sleeping beauty." He drops a smooch on his forehead and revels in the sounds of Danny's moans. 

Steve has to contain a smile when he helps Danny sit up. He reminds himself that Danny is probably in danger, and it's not time to admire his soon to be mate. But the sight of a sleepy Danny always makes him consumed with bliss. Danny's eyes are sleep heavy, his cheeks pink and his hair tousled. He's as grumpy as usual when he's woken up. The pair of Steve's sweats looks ridiculously long on him, yet his shirt seems to be stretched over his broad shoulders. Steve's dragon is singing with great satisfaction.

He kneels down between Danny's legs, cradles his face and strokes his blushing cheeks with gentleness. "Danny, you're emerging now. We need to move you somewhere more defensible. Chin's here to pick us up."

Danny blinks at him in confusion. "Why do we have to leave? It's comfortable. I feel safe here."

Steve keeps caressing Danny's face as he says, "I know you want to stay. But we have to go. I promise you after we bond, we'll spend days at home. Just the two of us. Okay?"

Danny nods, still looking drowsy. "Babe, you don't need to be worried about me. I can take care of myself. I have been watching out for you."

Steve presses his forehead against Danny's. "I know you're used to defending yourself and having my back as well. But it's different this time. You're vulnerable right now. You need to trust me and let me protect you. Please, Danny. Trust me."

"I always trust you, babe." Danny looks at him through his golden lashes and gives him a smile, which seems always to be only for Steve, the one filled with love and trust. Steve feels his heart stutter. 

Danny's eyes flick to Chin who stands behind Steve and gives him a reassuring smile. "Why are you standing a ways away?" Danny lifts an inquiring brow at Chin.

Before Chin can answer, Steve clears his throat nervously, his face blushing. "Danny, you're emerging. He can't stay too close to you without being growled at by me."

"Why do you growl at him? He's ohana and here to help us." Danny teases him in an extremely innocent voice, which gets Steve's blush deepening. 

"I know that, but I can't help it." Steve tries to sound nonchalant and cover his embarrassment, clumsily rolling up the cuffs of Danny's sweat pants. "Don't want you to trip over, do we?"

He pats Danny's leg and looks up at his partner. The smile he gets is just breathtaking.


	8. Chapter 8

After they get to the Center's newly built bonding facility, far into the forest reserve where the mated pair would have enough space to do their dragon-wrestling-thing, the staff whisks them into the building and leaves the soon-to-be mates alone on the third floor after they locked the whole compound down. 

Chin gives Kono a call through a secure line to brief her. Since she hasn't emerged, she's not allowed to follow them. But both of them agree that it's actually a wise decision that she stays put and keeps an eye out. She's thrilled as they thought she would be and can't wait to see the couple after they mate. Chin remains with the staff and a couple of trustworthy Betas from Steve's old team on the ground floor, chatting, yet always on alert, while waiting for the legendary pair to arrive. They are well aware that the new couple won't venture out since the suite they're in is stocked with enough top of line foodstuffs and beverages. There's even a small gym for them to kill time or blow off steam.

After watching Danny drink the heather tea, Steve's only too glad to help Danny out of his clothes and tuck him in. Then he crawls into the bed and leans against the headboard. Danny, already deep in his sleep, turns around immediately and snuggles up against his partner. Steve can't help but beam down at the man he loves, who throws an arm around his thighs and presses his face against his belly.

Steve didn't have many friends in his life before. He cherished every single person. He trusted them implicitly and paid the price once - speaking of which, Danny was right when Nick Taylor went into town. 

But now, he has ohana and his mate. And he might have an all dragon team soon. (He's certain Kono will emerge someday. It's clear that Kalakaua-Kelly family has strong dragon genes in their bloodlines.) He's willing to do anything to protect them. Even it means that he has to remain hyper-vigilant and listen to his gut. He truly hopes that Catherine wouldn't do anything stupid. They might not be able to remain friends, but he doesn't want to see her, someone he trusted before, turn out to be a woman blind with rage or jealousy and capable of insidious plans. 

Danny is his mate. He is Danny's to love. Not anyone else's. They belong to each other for life; they are together forever. And no one is going to change that. 

When Steve is lost in thought, Danny has somehow managed to nuzzle his way up and throw a leg across Steve's thighs, almost half on top of him now, clutching Steve's shirt in his hand, his face buried into the hard chest. Steve stares down and grins broadly when he feels that Danny is actually drooling. The tip of his tongue sticks out as he licks at his shirt occasionally. Unable to resist the urge anymore, Steve wraps his arms around Danny's body protectively and pecks soft kisses on the messy blond hair. Danny grumbles in his sleep but moves even closer, plastered against Steve's body.

Having his arms full of his Danny, Steve lets his mind wander into pleasanter territory. He'll resign from the Naval Reserves. He can't risk being pulled into active duty and deployed elsewhere when he has his mate to think about. Danny is all that matters to him. His mate has to come first. It will be him following Danny everywhere from now on. 

Danny stirs in his arms a couple hours later. He peeks down and sees the golden lashes flutter. Danny awakens slowly and finds himself cuddled up to a warm body, safe and comfortable. He looks up and sees his favorite goofy grin on his soon to be mate's handsome face. An answering sleepy smile spreads across his face.

Danny tugs on Steve's shirt until he gets the message and slides down, lying on his side with his mate snuggled up against his body, his arms around his waist and their legs entwined. Grinning, Steve wraps his own arms around his man's broad shoulders and buries his face in Danny's hair. He closes his eyes, feeling contented. Before he realizes it, Steve drifts off himself. They both sleep soundly, curled together, warm and cozy, impossible to be separated.

*

"Steve! Stop pacing! You make my head reel."

"Sorry." Steve strides back to Danny and takes his face in his strong hands. "I love you, Danny. I can't lose you."

"Babe, the whole damn building is in a lockdown. And our names are kept under wraps. There's no way anyone outside the building would know we're here. I even told Gracie I'm on a secret mission and may not be able to call her this week." Danny puts his hands on Steve's and gives him a squeeze. "To be honest, I would be bored to death before anyone finds out our whereabouts."

"They said someone broke into my house. What if it was Cath? I can't believe I put you in danger. I shouldn't have been in touch with her. I thought we could remain friends. I should've known that she wouldn't get over it." Steve starts pacing the room again. 

"You don't know it was her. Besides, no offense, she knows your house too well to trigger the alarm."

"Danny! I'm not - we are not --"

"I know, babe. I believe you."

"But what if --"

"Come here, babe. Stop worrying yourself for something you haven't known for sure."

Obediently Steve slumps into the loveseat beside him. He pulls Danny into his arms and rests his head against Danny's. Danny leans into Steve's chest, rubbing absently on his thigh. Steve sighs and holds Danny tight.

Though he keeps reassuring Steve that there's nothing to worry about, what Danny really wants to do is to kill everyone who hurt Steve and betrayed his trust before. He wants to make them pay for it ten times over. Steve is the most loyal man in Danny's eyes and he deserves the same kind of loyalty and love. Danny always knows that Steve has longed for his whole life for a family which wouldn't leave or betray him and for his family he would do anything and give anything he has. 

It hurts Danny to think that Steve has always been insecure, and that he believes he has to work hard to earn people's love for him. Danny has every intention of convincing Steve that he doesn't have to be perfect so that Danny will love him. He wants Steve to know that he's already perfect for him and he will never stop loving and wanting him.

*

"They're here!" Steve's ears perk up suddenly.

Danny looks up from the book he's reading and sighs dramatically. "Enhanced senses. I'm gonna get used to them one day."

Minutes later, the famous couple enters the suite. Tony looks like he has just stepped out of a fashion magazine, wearing a crisp tailored shirt, no tie with the top buttons undone, tucked into the stylish pants, which fit him perfectly.

"Finally meet someone who wears appropriate clothing like a professional should do," Danny mutters admiringly and offers his hand. "Detective Danny Williams. Thank you for coming to help us. I really appreciate it." 

Both of the Alphas snort, but Steve's the only one who needs to hastily disguise his snort of amusement as a sneeze before Danny turns to shoot him a feigned glare.

Tony shakes his hand, his brow lifted, looking intrigued. "Anthony DiNozzo. Call me Tony. And I like your tie. It brings out the color of your eyes." 

Steve groans. "Don't encourage him. I've tried for years to get him to ditch the ties."

"Professional attire, Steve!" Danny tells him firmly, jabbing a finger at his chest. "How many times do I need to tell you that at least one of us should look professional?" 

"You two are so cute together," Tony says teasingly. "Always bantering, bickering or squabbling. Not like us. I do all the talking. And my significant other? He's a functional mute."

Gibbs glares at him, but runs his fingers through his hair and tugs a little, which draws a blinding grin from Tony.

"Steve doesn't talk much either," Danny says dryly with a shrug.

"I talk a lot!" Steve pulls Danny close and pouts at him.

"Is that true?" Tony looks at Danny, amused. "Interesting. Last time I saw him, he couldn't stop talking about you."

"Oh," Danny groans and hides his blushing face. Steve smirks in triumph and kisses his temple. 

"So let's go outside and get it done so you guys can enjoy your honeymoon and make out like horny teenagers." Tony says in a wickedly innocent tone and gestures to the door.

"You can facilitate the emergence?" Danny asks in awe, conveniently ignoring the "make out like horny teenagers" part.

"Yep. That's why we're here. Isn't that the coolest thing?" Tony winks at them smugly, his green eyes sparkling with mischievous merriment.

Once they're out in the open, secured by a bunch of dragons from a distance, Tony turns around and looks Danny up and down, cocking an eyebrow. "If you prefer your professional attire intact," Tony says, pointing at Danny's shirt, grinning impishly, "you'd better leave it here."

"You gotta be kidding me. You're saying I have to be stripped naked? Am I gonna be naked every time I shift?!" Danny cries out, looking appalled.

Tony chuckles. "No. Only the first time."

"Okay. I think I can handle this." Danny looks at the sky, the resigned expression set firmly on his face. He lets out a sigh and starts stripping himself naked.

Tony actually laughs at this. "I know you've already been emerging, so this might be easier for you. Just keep eye contact with me and touch me when you feel ready. It won't take long."

"Okay. Let's do it." 

Tony shifts and a shiny white dragon appears in front of Danny who's gloriously naked now. He drops onto his belly and gazes at Danny. Danny looks him in the eyes, startling blue on sparkling green. Then Danny flashes a genuine smile and plasters himself to Tony.

Suddenly, there's a small pale teal dragon pressed against Tony. Truly on the short side, even as Wyverns go.

The pale teal Wyvern seems disoriented a little. Then he lifts his head, rubs his cheek against Tony's. Yeah, the cheek rubbing thing will never get old, Tony thinks with amusement.

The teal dragon cranes his neck, sniffs the air and hones in on dragon Steve, who is a huge nervous wreck right now, waiting anxiously for his mate to choose him. 

Tony swears that he has never seen a dragon swagger. Yet dragon Danny is definitely swaggering towards dragon Steve who fidgets with anticipation, his eyes glued to his mate. He wears his heart in his eyes for everyone to see. Danny struts across the clearing and stops in front of nervous Steve. He nudged Steve with his snout in such an elegant and proud manner that Steve's nudge-back looks rather clumsy, but loving and doting all the same.


	9. Chapter 9

After the couple wrestles around for a while - Danny is quite demanding yet dignified and Tony wonders whether it has anything to do with the color of his scales - and Steve hastily carries a wrapped-up Danny to their suite, the legendary couple and a few other dragons decide to wait in the hall.

"Hmmm." This kind of sound usually means that Tony finds something very entertaining.

"What?" Gibbs turns his head to his mate and raises a speculative eyebrow.

"That's a very rare color, even rarer than Reid's lavender," Tony explains cheerfully.

"What do you know about that?" Gibbs asks.

"Not much," Tony replies, grinning. "On official records, the pale teal Wyvern's gift is called Animal Magnetism."

"Meaning?" The older man prompts.

An impish smile forms on Tony's face. "It means that he can practically charm anyone into doing anything."

"Oh my," Chin blurts out and scrubs his face. "Steve would have a heart attack when he learns this."

Tony flashes them a more mischievous grin. "There might be more to it, but I need to touch his wrist band after they bond to be sure."

Chin looks at him with that you-gotta-be-kidding-me expression which makes Tony chuckle more heartily.

"Come on, it'll be fun! I bet Steve wouldn't object to his Wyvern being extremely charming."

The joyous grin on this powerful Wyvern's face only reminds Chin of a spoiled kitten that would always get his way. The way his Alpha smiles at him dotingly and tugs slightly at the soft hair at the nape of his neck doesn't help the situation at all.

Chin shakes his head imperceptibly, a tiny smile lingering on his lips. He can almost imagine what they would be like when the old married couple suddenly becomes loved-up newlyweds. Steve has been notorious for having a strong streak of protectiveness. When it comes to Danny, the streak is at least a mile wide.

"So how many bands does Danny have? Seven or nine?" Chin asks cautiously.

"Seven," Tony answers without hesitation. "I got a glimpse of him before Steve swaddled him in a blanket and carried him away."

When he sees both Chin and his alpha give him funny looks, he says defensively, "what? Danny's cute!" He shrugs. "Besides, he has blond hair. Few Wyverns look like him. I'm kinda interested."

"You're interested in him?" Gibbs asks him warningly.

"I have eyes only for you," Tony says in his lovely sexy voice.

"So he has seven bands, right?" Chin mutters.

"Yep." Tony crows happily.

"Thank god. If he has nine, Steve would die of heart failure in a week. He had already been very possessive toward Danny before he knew he's his mate." Chin sounds more amused than worried. Actually he has to bite back a laugh. Imagine what people would say when they find out the well-known old married couple is indeed a couple. And he lost a bet with Kono again.

Tony's lips quirk in amusement. "His possessiveness will come down some after their nesting period. Right?" Tony pats his mate's arm playfully.

"I don't think so," Gibbs says grimly. "I still want to stash you in our house and never let you leave."

"So what are we doing now?" Chin wants to know.

"Waiting to witness their wedding ceremony."

"Wedding?" Chin asks, looking confused.

"Stop joking around, Tony." The Alpha Drake shakes his head, as if he can't put up with more jokes, but in fact the soft tiny smile on his lips betrays his true feelings.

With a pout at his mate, Tony explains, "The bonding thing. The dragon version of marriage. After they have the first few rounds of wild sex, of course."

Gibbs rolls his eyes fondly at Tony when the Wyvern winks at his mate with that open and mischievous smile which is so common theses days after he finally feels secure about his place in his Alpha's life.

*

"Danny. My Danny," Steve chants softly as he puts Danny on the king size bed and peppers his Danny with reverent kisses.

"Steve," Danny murmurs, still a little glazed over. "Mine."

"Yes, I'm yours." Steve sheds his clothes and drapes himself over Danny's body. He cups Danny's face in his hands and stares straight into the enchanting blue eyes. He feels like he's hypnotized. "Danny, I've been in love with you for so long."

Danny smiles up charmingly and pulls Steve down into a searing kiss. "I know babe. I fell for you the moment I saw you."

Steve nips at Danny's lips. It feels like heaven to have Danny in his arms like this, to touch him, kiss him and take him, without the fear of losing him, for Danny is his forever. It's everything he has hoped for, and it's a thousand times better than what he ever dared to dream about.

Danny's here, and there's nowhere else Steve wants to be.

Steve's dragon rumbles in pleasure when Danny wraps his arms around his shoulders and presses his body against his. Danny is as eager to be his as he is to claim his mate, to possess his man and be possessed in return. To protect and love his Wyvern and be loved and wanted in return.

The urge is too overwhelming to hold back now that they can have each other after years of hopeless longing.

Danny gasps when Steve takes his mouth and kisses him savagely, big hands exploring his creamy smooth skin.

Despite the nearly unstoppable need to mate now, Steve is determined to take his time, to show Danny how much he loves him and cherishes him, but when Danny touches him so lovingly like he's so precious for him, like Danny wants him so much, all his resolve cracks.

He puts his mouth to all that soft skin, before he grabs Danny's wrists and holds his gaze.

"Danny, I want you so bad."

Danny nods. "I'm yours, babe."

With a guttural groan, Steve buries himself into Danny's tight heat.

For a long while, there are only moans, grunts, whimpers and gasps, until they both shudder through the intense orgasms as Steve chants the mantra of _Danny Danny Danny_ in his mate's ear, his cock buried deep inside Danny, throbbing and jerking, his hips stuttering helplessly against Danny's ass.

The Alpha Drake finally completes their mating. Steve has laid claim to Danny's body and his heart. He has possessed Danny and been possessed by him as well. He's loved and wanted by his Danny. He's never going be alone again.

And he has every intention of keeping his mate safe and making him happy.

After they come back to themselves, Steve gently puts Danny's pliant body into a comfortable position, tucking him into the curve of his own body. Danny shifts and wriggles groggily until he turns around and buries his face against his alpha's solid chest. Steve peppers kisses on Danny's hair, hungrily breathing in their mixed scents.

As much as Danny likes to be spooned and have his back pressed against Steve's chest, he loves to hug back with his arms around Steve's waist while Steve has his own arms around his shoulders.

"We need to get up. They are waiting for us." Danny whispers, thoroughly blissed out, one hand running small circles on Steve's ass.

"Just a minute," Steve mumbles against his hair, nuzzling happily, too caught up in the heady scent of eau de Danny&Steve. He's still stupid with sexual satiation and revels in the fact that Danny's his mate now.

*

The new couple reappears in front of people, reeking of each other.

Steve has never looked happier and more satisfied, an irritatingly triumphant grin on his face, looking like a sated cat that has been at the most delicious cream. He wraps his arm around Danny's trim waist possessively and is pleased to find that Danny fits perfectly under his arm.

In contrast to Steve's smugness, Danny, decked out in Steve's sweats and shirt again, looks endearingly embarrassed, his lips kiss swollen and blond hair wildly tangled, despite his desperate attempt to tease it to perfection. The pants Danny's wearing are riding dangerously low on his hips, revealing the delicious curves of his pert ass. (Of course, no one dares to stares at it for too long.) They pool at his feet and Danny needs to shuffle to avoid tripping over himself.

It seems they didn't even have time to roll up the cuffs of his pants.

"So I take it you guys call a timeout for now and are ready to complete your bonding?" Tony gives them a knowing smile which gets Danny's blushing scarlet.

"Yes, we want to bind ourselves together," Steve says, "I will do everything that brings us closer."

Tony nods in understanding.

The bonding goes as well as expected. (Since the triad bonded, Tony shares some of Blair's abilities and is able to summon some of the dragons' spirit guides - those who have more powerful gifts.)

Danny ends up with midnight blue scales around his throat while Steve bears the pale teal scales on his upper arm, right below the intricate tattoo there. The combination of the two looks otherworldly beautiful.

Although Danny seems overwhelmed, he's still functional enough to have a conversation with Tony. And all Steve does after the bonding and merger with their spirit dragons is keeping pawing at Danny's shirt impatiently to get his attention.

"It's a very rare color. Maybe we can talk about it a few days later after you guys' bond settles a little more."

"Of course. You can stay with us if you like. Ugh!" Danny suddenly finds himself being pulled into a tight hug and then swept up. "Steve! Put me down. This is very rude."

Steve flings him over his shoulder despite Danny's vocal protests and carries him back to their suite. It's obvious that he won't let Danny out of his reach (and his bed) any time soon.

"You neanderthal! Put me down! We need to talk about your caveman manners." Danny is squirming around, trying to escape from his bonded mate's grip - oh, that sounds so right! His bonded mate - until Steve turns his head and bites on his ass cheek. Hard.

"Ow!" Danny is not squeaking like a girl at all.

Before he can say anything more, Danny feels his mate's hand stealthily sliding under his shirt and stroking his spine scales. "You're cheating," Danny moans, panting and whimpering. He clutches Steve's shirt in his hands helplessly.

The next moment, he is on their bed, blinking stupidly up at the ceiling while his mate strips both of them naked in record time and enthusiastically pounces on him with that shit-eating grin.

"We need to talk, Steve."

Steve sits back astride Danny's thighs, gazing at his mate intensely. He makes a face, as if he's giving it a serious consideration before he says, "No." Then he pounces again, pinning Danny down with his own weight.

Danny's surprised yelp morphs into a strangled groan when Steve accidentally scrapes his teeth against his throat scales.

"Hmmm, interesting," Steve murmurs, staring at Danny's face which is flushing an adorable shade of pink. "You're beautiful with my scales on your throat. Ethereally beautiful. Mesmerizing."

Danny swallows hard. He can see the lust and possessiveness in Steve's eyes. If anything, it makes him hard and arching for his mate. He's sure he'll love Steve more and more each day.

Steve reaches out his hand and caresses the midnight colored scales reverently, which gets Danny shivering with whimpers. Steve perks up with interest, eyes widening in surprise, as if he just stumbled upon the most intriguing thing in the world. He smiles widely, licking and nibbling at the sensitive scales with determination.

Steve is practically dripping with satisfaction now. He wouldn't trade their full-fledged bond for anything. He can feel Danny in every corner of his being.

And he knows it goes both ways.


	10. Chapter 10

Catherine isn't having the best day. Hell, she isn't having a best month. After she heard about the bonding thing, she was trying to get more details. But the few bonded dragons she knew kept a lid on it for some reasons. Then she heard that Steve had flown to DC to attend a conference and met with one of the most powerful Alpha/Omega couples. She knew instinctively that meeting was about bonding. Her heart leaped. She was certain that she had a chance for a relationship with Steve after all. They were meant to be together. If - no, when they bonded, surely Steve would understand that she was the right mate for him and any uncertainty would be wiped away. She really didn't understand why Steve had been so stubborn about not mating with her. He had been always sweet to her and given her his shy smiles. Of course he loved her. Right? Well, yes, she had abandoned him several times. She had her reasons and sometimes she just got too frustrated with him. He would understand after she explained it to him. And more importantly, after they bonded, they wouldn't be separated again and she wouldn't abandon him ever. They would have a happily-ever-after.

So she called him. He was sweet as usual. He didn't mind what had happened before and wanted to be in touch. She knew she was right. Steve loved her. Hopelessly in love with her. Otherwise who would wanna keep in touch with a person who had caused a scene the last time you met?

She is sure that Steve doesn't have a mate. She even asked a contact to check it out. Yes, that kind of information is on record. Then she had another person who owed her a favor go check out Steve's house to see if there was anyone living in his house or being in his life. Unfortunately, that stupid triggered the alarm. She had to clean up the mess. He must have typed in the wrong digit(s). Or had Steve changed the code of his alarm system?

But it doesn't matter now, for she's going to give Steve a surprise.

*

"Hi, sailor!" Catherine says lasciviously after she let herself into the house. She's in a clinging little green dress which hugs her curves perfectly and reveals a wealth of bare skin. She has made an effort to look good enough. She even wears the black silk lingerie, for she's sure that she will get Steve and they will spend hours screwing in his bed.

Steve literally jumps at her overly sultry voice. "Catherine! Hi! Why are you here?"

"I'm here for you," Catherine purrs seductively, leaning into Steve's personal space, trying to kiss him on the lips.

Steve scrambles away, moves backwards and almost trips over the bar stool. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you miss me?" She makes a few steps closer to him, leaning forward and revealing her cleavage. "I heard of the news about the bonding. What do you say? How about that we try it? We'll be fantastic together."

"There's no us, Cath. I thought you understood."

"I'm the one for you. We're meant to be together. You'll see it after we bond."

"Catherine?" Danny sounds surprised when he enters the living room. He wears a pair of Steve's well worn sweat shorts and cotton shirt, his hair still damp from the shower. (The Alpha in Steve's mind gets ecstatic every time he sees Danny in his clothes, so he (shamelessly) wheedles Danny into wearing them at home after making pathetic imploring puppy eyes at him.) "We didn't know you're in town. How's everything going?"

"Great." Catherine looks him over, eyes narrowed. "I didn't know you're here."

Steve scurries to Danny's side and pulls him close. "Actually, he lives here."

Danny turns his head and beams fondly at his mate who smiles back goofily. "Have you finished prepping? We don't have much time. They're bound to be here any time."

Steve gives him a guilty smile as he slides his arms around Danny's waist. He rests his cheek on Danny's head and mutters, "I don't know what happened. I swear I followed your instructions to the letter."

Danny looks at the counter and takes in whatever is left after Steve's pathetic attempt to make the meat sauce. He sighs and starts to undone the apron Steve's wearing. "It looks like that I have to bench you, babe. If we ever wanna have something other than the steaks to eat tonight, you're banned from the kitchen."

"I was trying to help." Steve pouts at him but still manages to steal a soft kiss on Danny's lips.

"How about starting with staying away from my kitchen?" Danny hip-humps him aside and dons the apron himself.

"What's this all about?" Catherine snarls.

The two men have been so lost in their own world that they totally forgot there's another person in the room. They turns their heads as one, the same confused expressions on their faces.

Danny recovers first. "We have a gathering tonight. Friends and family. Do you wanna stay? There's plenty of food." Eyes still on his mate's, Danny laughs quietly at Steve's open unhappy expression. His mate is so cute like this with his pursed lips and sullen puppy eyes.

"I wanna have a word with you, Steve," Catherine croons. "In private."

Steve tears his eyes off of Danny reluctantly. "You can say anything in front of Danny. He's my bonded mate. I have nothing to hide from him."

"It's fine, babe," Danny says softly as he puts his hand on Steve's forearm to comfort him.

"You can't be bonded!" Catherine snaps. "It takes at least four weeks for an Omega to complete his emergence. And I called you two weeks ago. You didn't have a mate then. He can't be your mate. He doesn't deserve it."

"Danny's my mate. We're forever. If you don't wanna be friendly, you know where the door is. And if you ever insult my mate again, I swear to god I'll literally kick you out of my property."

"Steve! We have been together for years. You can't dump me for a loud-mouthed puny diminutive --"

"Catherine! We have never been together and I dare you to say that again --" Steve growls at her, fuming with pure anger, fully intending to toss her off his property or kick her into eternity (if Danny won't get mad at him for killing her) - no one is allowed to insult his mate with impunity - only to find his arms full of his Danny.

"Babe," Danny whispers, his voice soothing as always, and holds Steve tight to block his way. "Don't. It's not worth it."

Then he turns to Catherine, still having his arms around his Alpha's waist, and glares at her warningly. "I don't know what problem you have with me, but this is our home, and you make my mate very angry. I don't like it a bit. Believe me, you don't want to mess with me when I'm mad. You'd better leave now."

Catherine scoffs contemptuously. "You're weak Danny. You don't deserve Steve. He'll be much better with me."

"I don't know if you're being deliberately obtuse or you just don't see what you don't like, blind to the truth. Steve and I, we have bonded. We're in it forever. There's nothing you say or do will change it. Please leave. My mate is bordering on homicidal."

She turns her eyes to Steve - her chosen mate - who's cuddling her blond nemesis so gently even at his most peeved, as if he is the most precious fragile thing in the world and Steve wants to give him everything, his love and his heart. She is flushing with rage, getting infuriated when she catches a glimpse of shiny teal scales peeking out from under the short sleeve of the shirt. This can't be true! There's no way that Danny laid claim to her chosen mate! Catherine tells herself firmly.

She has to do something. Steve's hers. Right decisions can't be made in anger.

"We're not done!" Catherine flounces out and slums the door so hard that Danny can't help but wonder whether they have to fix it later.

*

"Danny," Steve mutters, his face buried in Danny's soft hair. "I'm sorry, Danny."

"Babe, this is not your fault. You got nothing to apologize for. You are the indomitable Alpha, the most amazing person I've ever met. Don't let her get at you. I love you."

Steve heaves a sigh of relief, tightening his arms around his mate. "I feel it's my fault. I should have prevented all this."

Danny runs his hand up and down Steve's back. "How can you predict everything babe? Even you are an incredibly awesome Alpha Drake. My badass crazy Drake."

A smile tugs at Steve's lips. "You think I'm awesome? Did you just call me your badass Drake?"

"I think you missed a word. My badass _crazy_ Drake."

Grinning, Steve peeks at the clock before he hauls Danny up, until Danny wraps his legs around his waist. He kisses Danny's jaw and whispers in his mate's ear, "we still have time. Let's go upstairs. I miss you."

Danny gasps as Steve starts licking at his throat scales. "Steve!"

Steve starts to walk, holding Danny tight, not letting go, and Danny is too lost in the sensation of having his throat and spine scales worked at the same time to notice that unconsciously he turns his head to give Steve better access.

"You animal! Put me down!" With iron control, Danny manages to get these words out.

"You know your gift is called Animal Magnetism?" Steve quirks an eyebrow at him. "Which means it's not my fault that I find you irresistible."

"You just admitted you are an animal." Unable to stop himself, Danny laughs.

Steve shrugs. "As long as I have you, I don't really care." And he endeavors to do everything, anything to make Danny have that smile on his face and the endearing laugh lines around his eyes.

Steve drops Danny on the bed, crawls up over him and kisses him hungrily.

Danny groans helplessly as his sly Alpha strokes his throat scales.

The Wyvern knows that his mate does it on purpose, but his traitorous cock doesn't listen to him.

"Steve, you really need to stop. This is the first time we have our friends and family over after we bonded. I truly don't want to tell them we have to cancel it because you are an insatiable animal!"

Without saying anything, Steve begins lapping and sucking at the midnight blue scales on Danny's throat.

"Seriously, you need to stop," Danny manages between whimpers. "If you keep going like this, I might come in my pants."

Steve's face brightens.

If Danny hasn't have his eyes screwed shut in an attempt to hold on to his rational mind, he may have seen the degree to which Steve's eyes light up at his words and known that his goofy mate has accepted it as a challenge.


	11. Chapter 11

Yeah, he has a big Alpha sprawling on top of his back and said Alpha's cock still buried deep inside him. He's fucked out and exhausted. So sue him, if no one is going to taste the handmade lasagna tonight. He really doesn't want to move. It becomes harder to open his eyes. And his stupid mate is making those contented soft sounds. He feels he can sleep for a week straight, if Steve doesn't intend to fuck Danny senseless in different ways. Not that he's complaining about it, especially when he's stupid with post-coital bliss, but his Alpha has the unnatural stamina - even for a dragon. And this big goof is fully hard again! When he's still in him. 

Steve starts lapping the back of Danny's neck where the two different-colored scales meet as he rolls his hips slowly, driving himself deeper into Danny and making his mate shivering. He loves Danny like this, all throaty moans and shuddering gasps. He simply can't get enough of Danny. The sex is never going to get old. 

Danny squirms and writhes beneath him, arms flung out blindly and hands grasping at the sheets. He's wide awake now. His body is on fire.

"Babe," Danny grits out, "when I said they're bound to be here any time, I meant it. I don't want my ass to be seen by our friends."

Steve growls. "No one except me is going to see your bare skin. But relax, I texted Chin and told him dinner's gonna be delayed. A couple hours at least. He'll tell everyone else."

Steve continues his shallow thrusts.

"Tony and his mate --"

"I texted him either. Don't worry, Danny. Let me take care of everything." Steve whispers against Danny's ear before he licks the shell of it and speeds up his pace, causing his Danny to tremble and whimper helplessly. 

"Danny, just take what I give you. You know I want to give you everything. Let me love you and take care of you."

Steve grabs Danny's wrists and pins them down above Danny's head. He nudges Danny's legs further apart, making Danny have no leverage at all to move or meet the hard thrusts, leaving his Wyvern with no choice but to accept. 

Danny moans uncontrollably from his position. He's face down with Steve's body draped over his back and his wrists are held down by his Alpha's big hands. He should've felt uncomfortable and exposed, but in fact all he can feel is that he's safe with his mate and he's loved by this man.

It doesn't take long to have Danny coming hard, since Steve has been teasing him for long minutes. And the sight and scent of Danny's pleasure is enough to tip Steve over the edge within seconds. 

Steve rolls onto his side and gathers Danny close. He nuzzles Danny's hair and wraps his long limbs around him, while his mate complains groggily about one certain insatiable Alpha who will get nothing for dinner, because he wore his mate out. Steve grins and tightens his hold on Danny. Despite his sleepy protests, Danny takes Steve's hand and entwines their fingers as they drift off together.

That they haven't prepared dinner for their guests tonight is the last thought crossing Danny's mind before he falls asleep in his alpha's arms.

*

His Danny is old-fashioned. A ring means a lot to him. Though bonded dragons are in a lifelong relationship, Steve doesn't want Danny to think that he takes him for granted because of their bond or that Danny has no other choice but to stay with him. Call him sappy, but he does want Danny to be a happily bonded Wyvern, not a sullen mate who's trapped in a relationship he can't escape from. Even they're forever, Steve still wants to give his mate a proper courtship and date him - do something nice and plan surprises for him to make him happy, because it is worth it to put that surprised happy look on Danny's face. It's worth the trouble he might go to. 

Watching Danny's peacefully sleeping face, everything he has longed for is right in front of him - in his bed. Steve can’t help but let out a possessive and satisfied rumble as he’s reminded that Danny is his for life and he's the only one who can see Danny like this. Leaning against the headboard and wrapping an arm around Danny's sex-pliant body, Steve fiddles with the small box he has hid in order to give Danny a surprise. He can feel a smile stretching across his own face at the mere thought of Danny's face when he wakes up to find Steve on his knee holding out a wedding band designed for him.

He waits patiently, not wanting to disturb his mate and stroking Danny's spine scales softly which gets Danny purring in his sleep.

Nearly an hour later, Danny stirs and wakes up slowly. It feels so wrong to wake up without Steve's warm body pressed against his. He blinks sleepily and turns his head. Then he freezes, eyes wide.

"Danny, I know that we already had a dragon version of wedding ceremony, but I still want to marry you in a more traditional way. Will you marry me?"

Talking about surprise. Danny wakes up to his mate holding a ring box and getting down on one knee beside the bed. It's so dreamlike that Danny has to blink a few times at his mate to be sure he's not dreaming.

Feeling his heart overflowing with love, Danny says, "Yes. Yes! You big goof! I love you!" Danny smiles at him, touched as always, knowing that Steve's willing to do so many ridiculous things for him to make him happy - sometimes in his own awkward goofy way.

Danny scrambles out of the bed only to fall into Steve's strong arms because of his wobbly legs. 

Steve catches him and holds him tight. Danny leans into Steve's body, resting his head on his mate's shoulder. His alpha's arms are the safest place he knows.

"I'm so in love with you, Danny." 

Danny pulls his man down into a kiss, then chuckles. "Never thought I'd be proposed to when I'm naked," Danny muses. He looks up and finds the familiar besotted smile quirking the corners of Steve's lips.

"Can I put something on?" Danny asks, self-conscious about his nakedness in front of a fully dressed Steve.

"The ring?" Steve says in a wickedly innocent voice. "Let me put it on your finger. Please?"

Danny nods, face flaming. "But I need to put some clothes on before my fiancé, my mate puts the ring on my finger."

"Practically, I'm already your husband," Steve points out proudly.

*

"Hmmm," Tony hums when he catches a glint of gold on Danny's ring finger. He cocks his head and studies the twin plain bands on the newly bonded couple's fingers. 

"What's with the rings?" Tony asks, with a glint in his eyes. 

Danny looks down at his left hand and then over at Steve who is beaming smugly at him, fond eyes locked on his. He smiles back helplessly.

"Steve kinda convinced me," Danny says, his eyes sparkling. "He said he wants to marry me in both ways. I'm lucky to have him."

Tony smiles and turns to Steve who drapes him arm around his mate's shoulders, and practically preens when Danny compliments him. "I was right, you're definitely the most hopeless romantic Alpha," Tony teases.

"Jim might be a romantic inside, but he doesn't do these crazy things. I bet Blair will want to meet you guys. Actually I've been thinking, and I talked with LJ about it too. What do you say that you come to DC? Stay for a few weeks, maybe. You have some training to do. And I'd like to introduce you to some guys. Some of us are very interested in the feelings a couple might have for each other before the emergence. Reid, a true genius - he's lavender - is working on it recently. He'd like to hear your stories."

Danny and Steve share a look. They didn't need to talk much to understand what crosses the other one's mind before. People always said that they did that kind of annoying thing when they talked with limited facial expressions and body movements. Now with their complete bond, they are experiencing the unprecedentedly intense connection, making everything else they've ever felt pale in comparison.

"Think about it. It's not mandatory. But Wyverns with seven or nine bands are in a small minority. So welcome to the club! Good news is that there are no fees and you get all the training for free."

"Bad news?"

"The cliché. With great power comes great responsibility." Tony says dryly.

 

*

Catherine knows that it's probably a very bad idea to crash the party, since she had a row with Danny and Steve not long before - it was all Danny's fault that Steve was pissed off at her. Danny must have been putting down poison about her. Steve used to treat her differently, warmer and nicer, if anything. He used to share the hearty laugh and sweet delight with her. They used to spend a lot of time together outside of work and that says it all, since Steve is the aloof commander who doesn't socialize a lot. She knows she has a special place in his heart. If anything changes, that's one Danny Williams who doesn't know to stay away from Steve and let Steve have his happiness. 

Steve is hers. She's not gonna give up on him easily. She finds it hard to believe that Steve can just turn off his feelings for her and fall for a puny person so fast and hard after spending years in a relationship with her. It's impossible.

She considers her options. There're other people there, some of whom she knows, some only pathetic humans. (Steve used to want nothing to do with human beings. He was the Alpha of his all dragon team.)

It's unlikely that they'll actually ask her to leave in front of their friends. So she might have a chance to talk with Steve in private and convince him that he made a mistake and was fooled by Danny into believing he's his mate.

Still, there's a risk. She heard that a couple of Council members are there too. She doesn't understand why the thought of running into the couple makes her skin crawl. 

She strides along the beach, now close enough to hear the laughter and see the light from the party on Steve's lanai. But the feeling of being watched is getting stronger. She feels like she's under scrutiny.

*

Less than a few seconds after Gibbs tenses up, Steve senses that someone is on his property. Not some stranger, it's Catherine. He recognizes the rapid heartbeat of hers.

Through their bond, he can sense Danny is worried and uneasy. It's obvious that Danny has picked up on something, but he knows that Danny is trying hard to wrestle with his emotions, for fear that his uneasiness will disturb Steve more. Steve is touched and annoyed at the same time that Danny always puts him before himself. He should be the one that protects Danny, not the other way around. He enfolds Danny in his arms, holding him and trying to comfort his unsettled mate. He snarls unconsciously, lips curling in disgust. Someone has made his mate uncomfortable and this is unacceptable.

He gives a glance at Tony who is also unhappy about it somehow. He doesn't know what exactly Tony's gifts are, but both of the Wyverns stiffen, they must have felt something. Something terribly wrong. And their Alphas can't tolerate the thought of their mates being troubled.

"I swear that there's someone with murderous hatred nearby," Tony whispers, with a covert glance in Danny's direction.


	12. Chapter 12

"Catherine?" Danny asks, a pained look on his face. "That's - I felt like I was punched physically."

"Are you OK?" Steve stares down at his mate, looking for any sign of suffering on Danny's face, his concern evident. "I can't believe she comes back again. She's skulking around, not really trespassing right now."

"You guys know this person?" Tony asks, brows furrowed. "An old enemy?"

The newly bonded couple exchanges a look. "No," Danny hesitates. "She was on Steve's team before when he was in Naval Intelligence and has a huge crush on him. She dropped by unannounced this afternoon. But I didn't feel this kind of resentment and hate then." He gives Steve a concerned look before continuing. "It felt like she was confident in getting Steve's attention and all flirtatious. Not until she saw us together."

"Feelings like jealousy will morph into hate which festers fast and grows more venomous," Tony says matter-of-factly.

Feeling Steve's increasing agitation, Danny puts his hand on Steve's wrist and squeezes it gently. "Babe, you can't shoot her because she hates me. We can't arrest her for how she feels. It may blow over eventually." He offers a reassuring smile, soothingly stroking his mate's arm, but Steve's jaw is still clenched so tight, a crease of worry between his brows.

"Doubt it," Tony shakes his head and gives Danny a sympathetic look. All the previous mischievous merriment has gone. "Danny you should trust in your gifts. Most Wyverns have strong empathy, even not the same kind, but if you feel that she harbors strong hatred for you, that only means she does. And it won't just go away."

"It might not be that bad. She has wanted to be Steve's mate for years, but she never did something to cause people hurt." Danny tries to make light of it. "I understand where the anger comes from. Look at you! Babe you are like a GQ model with those ridiculous muscles to top it off. Anyone would jump your bones. Can't blame her. You are not an easy person to lose."

Steve grits his teeth, anything but amused.

Registering Steve's exasperation, and knowing that his goof is blaming himself, Danny says in a wheedling voice, "but I intend to get you attached to my hip for the rest of my life, babe," which finally draws a tight smile from Steve.

"Still a threat. It feels like she's verging on erupt." Tony says thoughtfully.

Alarmed, Steve tightens his hold on Danny. "She said she's not done and we'll end up together," Steve grimaces in disgust. "What did she mean by that? Has she truly believed if Danny is out of the picture I would want to mate with her?"

"Well, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility," Tony winces.

Steve seems appalled at the thought that someone would seriously consider taking Danny off so she can get him to agree to bond. "Danny, I should've made it clearer that I wouldn't bond with anyone else if you were not a dragon. I--"

Danny cuts him off and gives him a "we-have-talked-about-this" look. "Steve, I have never been someone who cowers behind his partner. We've been in this together from the day we became partners. I'll always stand by your side and have your six. Stop it. And she hasn't done anything other than blatantly seducing you."

"Danny!" Steve protests.

"No, Steve!" Danny says firmly. "We don't have legal grounds to do anything."

"In fact we do," Tony cuts in. "Normally the newly bonded pair would spend a week alone together, which you did last week. But it's also a common sense the bond needs more time to settle. It would take longer for an Alpha to tone his territoriality down and feel comfortable about having other dragons or humans around his mate. Intruding the property of a nesting Alpha is a big deal, for the bond hasn't fully settled, and the Alpha will feel threatened, like how Steve feels right now. And it'll drive an Alpha to go feral trying to protect his mate and home.

"From what I just heard, it sounds like she truly believes that Steve loves her and they belong together. I believe we might need a psychiatrist from the Council to give Steve's obsessive admirer a psych eval."

Tony sighs before he adds, "and it completely depends on what she will do in the next few minutes. If she won't do anything violent, she only needs to undergo a mandatory counseling with a shrink until she gets cleared by said shrink.

"If she tries to attack anyone, no matter dragon or human, she'll face much worse charges. Of course, if she leaves right now, we might consider your opinions and let her go this time. And you guys'd better off to stay with us for a few weeks."

Steve looks torn. "I want her to stay far away from me and Danny, but I don't wanna see her face serious charges. She was my team member." He pauses for a second to take a deep breath. "If she doesn't leave, I'll go arrest her myself."

"Babe, I'll go with you," Danny says. "I'll talk to her. I know it's hard for you."

"No. You're my everything and you stay inside," Steve pleads, his eyes firmly on Danny's. "She might lash out. And if you're there, close enough to her, I may get nuts and lose it. Please stay inside."

*

"She's not leaving," Gibbs says, standing up.

Steve reaches for his sidearm as Gibbs does the same, then he follows the older man outside from the front door. The acute dragon eyesight allows them to see well and the Alphas, no doubt, have the most excellent senses. They get round to the backyard of the house stealthily and take in the sleek figure moving towards the lanai.

Gibbs glances at him and signals to him in silence. He nods, veers to the right, so that Catherine is boxed in between the two Alphas when they are quietly closing on her.

Somehow it doesn't surprise Steve that how easy it is to follow Gibbs' orders, as if it's the most natural thing in the world to do. He doesn't know if it's simply because he has spent decades in military or not. He respects authority, but Gibbs is more like a father figure than a CO to him. Ew, that's not a pleasant train of thought he would follow. He'd better go with the "leader".

After they bonded, Steve can feel how powerful the couple is. Though he doesn't feel inferior to this old man, he does feel the need to follow him as a leader. (Absolutely not a father figure! He doesn't have daddy issues!) That's a little odd, for Tony is more like a friend and family, but his Alpha is kinda the epitome of authority.

Steve pushes aside those thoughts for future reference and focuses on the task at hand.

*

Catherine is consumed with envy and anger. Steve has been fond of her and she has been quite confident that she'll spend her life with Steve, living in his beachfront house and maybe raising a couple of children, or traveling across the world on various missions together. It's not her hopeless dreams of them being intended. If only she can talk to Steve...

With effort, she snaps back to reality. She doesn't want to challenge two prominent Alphas, especially one of them Steve. She doesn't need to be nervous, she keeps telling herself. She only wants to talk, to convince Steve. He has been fooled. Danny has made Steve believe that he'd always be there for him. Steve fell for it and became clingy to him, because Steve has always been emotionally fucked up. He would hold onto anyone who he thought would never leave him. Danny has taken advantage of his weakness.

Steve doesn't know what real bond is and when he comes to his senses, he'll know that she's right. If - when she can get Danny away from him, Steve will get less suggestible. If - when she can make Danny stay out of their lives, Steve will realize he made a mistake. They can make a go if they try.

Now if she can just put Danny out of the way.

If only there weren't two Alphas she has to face before she can get to Danny. Maybe she should wait for another chance, wait for Danny to be alone. Or just lure him away from Steve?

She has no intention of challenging two Alphas.

Before Catherine's survival instincts kick in, she is near the lanai and finds those two Alphas who she dreads facing, let alone fighting against, training their guns on her. The older one, with silver hair and icy blue eyes, gives her death glares which send shivers down her spine. She freezes.

"Hands up, Catherine!" Steve barks, with the same serious expression.

"What the hell!" She practically screams. "Steve!"

"Why are you here, Catherine?" Steve demands. "Hands up!"

"Steve, I wanna talk to you," she says to Steve in that crooning voice, staring at him pleadingly. "We haven't seen each other for a while. I miss you."

Gibbs snorts.

"We have nothing to talk about," Steve sounds exasperated, sick of saying it to her again. "Hands up!"

"What did I do?" Catherine snaps. "I only wanted to talk to you." She arranges her features and looks at him forlornly.

"I'm a nesting Alpha, newly bonded. And you're not on the list of our guests, so basically you're an intruder. Given what you did this afternoon, I have to assume the worst." Steve is still holding the gun steadily.

"I did nothing. You can't do this to me! Did Danny say something to you?"

"You heard him," Gibbs cuts her off impatiently. "Hands up."

Catherine's eyes flick to the older Alpha then back to Steve. She clamps down on the irrational urge to shift and fight her way to the house where her nemesis is now. If only he weren't in their lives... She reminds herself that she is to impress Steve, talk to him and persuade him, not to make him go ballistic by ripping his so-called mate apart. And to be realistic, she can't even get there without having to get in a fight with these two Alphas.

"Steve, I only wanna have a word with you," Catherine whispers wistfully and raises her hands.

"This is not going to happen," Steve says firmly, peering warily at her. "Kono, search her."

"On it, boss."

Catherine hisses slightly at the young human woman, but tries best to keep still while the two Alphas watch her closely.

"Clear, boss."

The Alphas lower their guns and reholster them, without taking their eyes off her.

"Catherine, you're under arrest --"

"For what?!" She yells, unable to mask her anger now. "You have no grounds!"

"Actually we have," a baritone voice comes.

Catherine looks up and finds an irresistibly attractive man, with entrancing green eyes, walking out on the lanai. The silver-haired Alpha grunts his disapproval.

"You are under arrest for trespassing on the property of a nesting Alpha dragon. We do have laws to protect the newly bonded mates' need to take time to have their bond settled, because it might make the Alpha feral when he feels threatened during his nesting period. And it's very dangerous for said Alpha as well. He might never recover from it and the Council will not tolerate the possibility of losing a promising Alpha."

Catherine turns her eyes to Steve, looking aggrieved and wounded. "Steve, I didn't know. I love you. I only wanted to talk to you. You know I won't hurt you if I know my visit would get you in danger."

Steve pinches the bridge of his nose, looking tired. He doesn't want to deal with this. All he wants, desperately in fact, is to have Danny to himself for a while. Just spending time together, knowing Danny is close and happy.

"Catherine," he says tiredly, "how did you know I was home today? We only got back this morning."

Catherine looks alarmed.

"Did you break in our home and Danny's apartment?" Steve holds her gaze; his expression turns stony.

"Danny, Danny. It's all about Danny!" Catherine snarls. "Did he tell you to put distance between us? So we'll never have the chance to find out that we're compatible. He's all you can think about."

"He's my mate!" Steve snaps. "Of course he's all I think about!"

"So where is he now? Being a coward and hiding behind you? Leaving you to take care of all the nasty things for him?"

Steve winces at the sheer bitterness in her voice.

"He doesn't deserve you, Steve. Don't you see it?" Catherine coos. "I love you. You can't let them take me away just because I paid my friend a visit, Steve! You know me. I would never hurt you."

"What about Danny?"

"What?"

"Will you never hurt him?"

"Why do you keep talking about him?"

Getting everything he needs to know, Steve turns his head and nods slightly at Tony who gestures to the newly arrived Alphas, the ones from the local Center.

"Make sure to give her a psych evaluation. I've contacted her CO and told him she'll still need clearance from one of the Councils shrinks to go back to work if we ever decide to drop the charges."

*

"Steve, are you alright?" Dimly registering the screamed "it's not over", Danny focuses his attention on his mate. He gathers Steve close and lets his Alpha bury his face in his neck.

"I'm fine, Danny."

The Wyvern snorts. "You should keep in mind that I can feel what you are feeling."

Steve finds him smiling helplessly. "Yeah? So you know what I'm feeling now? Awesome. So next time I feel horny, I don't need to tell you."

Danny rolls his eyes and says, "Steve, I feel we should accept their offer and stay away for a while. What do you say?"

"I'll follow you everywhere."

Danny chuckles, running his hand up and down his mate's back. "Basically you're saying your newfound goal in life is trailing me everywhere."

"Uh huh," Steve says, beaming stupidly at his mate. "Gracie will be out for the summer in a few days, right? After our training, we can take her on a vacation."

"She'll spend the summer in London," Danny says sadly. "We don't have a say."

"She's the child of a Wyvern," Tony says from behind. "I'm sure you have a say and you can get primary custody of your daughter at least."

Seeing kids separated from their parents who love them without reservation has always been difficult for Tony. He longed for the loving parents, but never had.

Gibbs wraps his arm around Tony's shoulders to comfort him. "I promise you I'll take care of it," he mumbles and drops a kiss on Tony's temple, before he turns to the new couple. "We'll take care of it, if you'd like to get custody of your daughter. She might emerge someday and needs to spend more time with dragons."

"By the way," Tony drawls, getting their attention, "Kono's emerging."


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks after Danny's emergence and their bonding, they fly to DC with the ranking couple of Council members and starts their training. Namely, Danny meditating with Tony and going around DC meeting another Wyvern, one Spencer Reid, who is with FBI and bonded to Alpha Prime for Washington DC Aaron Hotchner and Alpha David Rossi - both are FBI agents as well, and meanwhile Steve trailing his mate everywhere. Steve insists that's not really his fault. For one thing, he's a newly bonded Alpha - the mere thought of Danny bonded to him is enough to make him extremely happy (and horny) - he can barely take his hands off his mate. For another, he and Gibbs have different colored scales. He needs to wait until he meets with Jim Ellison who has the same midnight scales and is a sentinel as well. So Steve doesn't have a lot of things to do with Gibbs other than the few times the legendary pair takes them to a range in the name of training Steve's newly sharpened senses, which Danny points out is simply the older Alpha's way of getting Steve relaxed after witnessing Steve being hyper-vigilant for so long, because surely a former Marine sniper would understand some crazy former SEAL's unhealthy interest in shooting anything that's moving. Tony laughs so hard when he hears Danny bitching about this the first time. And Steve is still high on adrenaline from using his enhanced senses which have been a hundred times better after bonding. He beams proudly at his mate, waiting for Danny to give him a compliment. Danny rolls his eyes at his big goof and decides to spend the next day with Reid in the library to study the Council's records, in an attempt to find more about Danny's gifts and to bore Steve to tears.

So basically, for Steve, there's not so much training to do in DC. Grounding his senses on Danny is enough to keep his senses stable. Steve has never felt more at ease to dial up his senses without getting in trouble. He's so looking forward to getting himself trained up. Just imagine what he will be capable of after that! 

And shifting and flying with his mate helps a lot too. It loosens him up. Danny likes prowling - no, strutting around, while keeping a sharp eye on Steve who refines the fighting skills in his dragon form. Ah, in Danny's words, he just enjoys sparring with other Alphas in their dragon form after they might have done the same thing in their human form not long before.

Secretly, what Steve loves the most when they spend time in dragon form is to wallow besides Danny and keep nudging him until Danny gets so impatient and annoyed by his overgrown puppy dragon mate that he fights back. Which means Steve gets Danny's attention and when they become tired, he'll curl around his Wyvern, tails tangled, and catch a nap with an exhausted but contented Danny. He might even press his huge body against Danny's smaller one, ignoring his mate's sleepy whines. 

And he does the bonding thing between the Alphas. Not like Wyverns' cheek rubbing, theirs is more primal. They fights playfully before they nudge a lot. He swears that dragon Danny rolls his eyes at him when he gets a glimpse of Steve rolling around with another Alpha. They usually fight while flying, but that time somehow they half-drop and half-land on the ground while bumping against each other. Danny is swaggering when the two huge Alpha Drakes land with a loud thump and then roll around together. The teal Wyvern casts a glance at Steve and snorts.

Upon catching Danny's smirk Steve runs at him with a rumble of excitement. He perks up even more at Danny's surprised yelp, nipping and bumping, until both of them get wiped out. Danny rolls over, bringing his belly to Steve's, their tails reaching for each other without conscious thought. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon snuggling together with other dragons playing around nearby.

A few days later, Steve learns something about his mate the hard way. That is "Never mess with Danny when he truly enjoys himself strutting around."

He gets carried away that day. He's already been perky and pleased with himself when he catches sight of Danny walking lazily around from the sky. He wants to play with his mate, so he swoops down on Danny. Playfully, of course. But Danny fights back hard and... He's mean and sneaky. (After all his Danny has been a beat cop for years.) More importantly, Wyverns are better flyers. Danny flies elegantly and nimbly. He can fly around Steve within inches for a while and Steve can't even catch him. 

In the end, Steve splashes into the lake and his Wyvern hovers over him smugly. 

Afterward, Steve firmly declares that he landed on the lake, not dropped into the water and Danny snorts with amusement beside him.

Steve thinks to himself that day, if anything, Danny might have a great chance of taking down an Alpha by surprise. Who would have thought that such a shiny tiny Wyvern would fight like that?

*

"So, hypnotize?" Danny asks, looking suspicious. "Are you sure? I know you're a genius, but, are you absolutely 100% sure?"

Danny and Reid have a night out for drinks after spending a whole day looking through records. 

Speaking of Danny's gifts, Steve has seen with his own two eyes these day how popular his Danny can be, even he doesn't make any effort to charm people wittingly. People love Danny and find it easy to open up to him. Those Alphas seem to be able to refrain from being too friendly to Danny, knowing well that Steve's possessive about his Wyvern. But Betas, other Wyverns and humans don't bother a bit. They are drawn to Danny. 

And that's only the "being irresistibly charming" part of his mate's gifts. 

Reid frowns at Danny across the table. He's sitting between his two Alphas who listen to the two Wyverns with amusement.

Danny throws up his hands in surrender. "OK. You are never wrong. But seriously? Hypnotize? How on earth can I do that? If, I mean if, I could do that, I would definitely have hypnotized this big goof and stopped him from pulling stupid stunts for a thousand times after my emergence!"

"Hey! I'm right here and I didn't even have time to do stupid things. I've been busy doing —" Steve swallows the last word "you" down when he sees the death glares that Danny shoots his way.

The quietly serious Alpha Prime has to hold up his beer to hide his laugh. The two older Alphas have been intrigued by the new couple since they met them.

For sure, Reid is the youngest one of mated Wyverns, but these two are the youngest bonded couple. The two older Alphas have been used to the kind of couples who have mellowed over the years, so when they see the two bantering, bickering and sometimes squabbling, they get really amused and amazed. How these two young men can argue like an old married couple when they're inseparable and can't take their hands off each other is beyond them.

Reid says to Danny, "It's not the same kind of hypnotism that people usually know about. I believe people hypnotized by you wouldn't have a blackout, which means they would have no way of knowing that they're hypnotized."

Danny gapes at him, speechless, clearly in shock. It's not that easy to get his Danny wordless after all.

"That's unbelievable," Danny manages, brow furrowed in a way which, Steve's known for years, means that Danny is not very happy about it. "It doesn't sound like the right thing to do. I mean, nobody should do such a thing to another person. Why did I get a gift like this?"

Reid stares at Danny with an expression of surprise. "You have the same response like I had when Tony told me about my empathy. It seems I can make people feel what I want them to feel. I was terrified. I hardly understood my emotions. How could I know what's the best for the others without hurting them?"

"What changed?" Danny asks.

"What?" 

"You said you hardly understood, which means now you have a better understanding of them," Danny says with a shrug.

Reid smiles. "I forgot you were a cop like Tony. You guys can always notice the small slips. In this case, I hate to say it, but I haven't quite understood my emotions yet. My mates have been very supportive and I've come to accept that every kind of gifts given to us has a meaning. Even we don't see it right now. I believe it's gonna be vital someday."

Reid holds Danny's gaze, a small grin lingering on his lips. He doesn't notice that both of his mates give him the same doting, proud smiles.

*

Tony's initial plan was to have the new couple stay with each of the triad pairs for a week, but Gibbs insists that they should accompany them and do some catching up with the other two pairs of the triad. Tony laughs at him cheekily, saying that Gibbs just wants to spend more time with his newfound disciple - a sailor, a SEAL! What will be better than this? Not that Gibbs is going to find another Marine Alpha as gifted as Steve. Gibbs grunts noncommittally, but has to kiss Tony fiercely to shut him up.

That's why they fly to Cascade together the following week. Tony has to bite his lip to keep from laughing on their private plane. That's too amusing. Who would have thought that the Great Gibbs gets a kick out of training his chosen student?

Having to delegate Steve's training to a former Army Ranger makes Gibbs grumpy for several days. Through their bond, Gibbs gets the unmistakable impression that his mate is laughing at him.

"Why did it have to be a Ranger?" Gibbs grumbles telepathically at his mate, making Tony laugh even harder. 

Danny senses it too, but tactfully refrains from saying anything.

So the only person who has no clue about it at all is Steve McGarrett. Maybe it's because that he has been in the Navy since he was 19, and spent nearly all of his adult life as a SEAL. To his knowledge, almost every CO is more or less cranky, taciturn and aloof, just the same as Gibbs is.


	14. Chapter 14

Thanks to Tony's talkativeness when he's in good mood, even before Steve and Danny arrive Cascade, the other two pairs of the triad have known about them a lot. Blair is impressed that Steve's senses are already stable enough to allow him to use, not very smoothly though, the second set of dials, but Jim suspects that Steve has grounded his senses on Danny for years and meanwhile the dragon and sentinel in him see Danny as his partner in every possible way without realizing it. After they bonded, Danny is able to dial up his empathy to give Steve the feedback a sentinel needs to get the second set functional. 

The former Ranger believes that discipline of mind and the physical strength are necessary for a dragon sentinel to realize the full potential of his gifts, and pretty serious about his training regime.

So Steve ends up spending hours and hours with Jim, and Danny has a suspicious feeling that this kind of dawn to dusk training reminds Steve of the days when he was young and went through the intense BUD/s. Oddly, Steve seems more reinvigorated and energized, as if he becomes young again, which in a sense is true. He's young and promising for a dragon. He can do so many things and there're so many things he want to do in the future with Danny. 

Sometimes Steve even takes Danny to the gym and spars with him. He has always known that his Danny is a great fighter, but catching the shocked looks on other Alphas' faces makes Steve proud of Danny even more. It's terrible and unheard-of for Alphas to physically wound a Wyvern, but the two men used to train together long before Danny's emergence. It slowly became their way to get closer and all these years of sparring against each other has helped them keep the skills honed. Of course Steve has the advantage of SEAL training and his Drake strength, but Danny's technique is simple and efficient, and it rivals Steve's own. Besides his mate has a mean right hook which he learnt first hand the first day they worked together. Steve remembers vividly that he spent hours afterward healing his sore jaw and sulking beside Danny. Yeah, that's the thing from day one. Even he was sulking for being punched by Danny, he still rattled behind his equally unhappy partner, eager to do anything to please him.

They are fairly matched in the fight now, until Steve resorts to extreme measures. He throws himself at Danny and pins him down with his own weight. During his emergence Danny has lost twenty or so pounds. Though he's still muscular and well built, the muscles of his thighs look longer and his body more sculptured. He's visibly leaner and toned. And he's also faster and more lithe as well. His movements are graceful. There's a quality that reminds people more of dancing than battling. When Danny fights, he is like an excellent ballet dancer performing on stage, enchanting and mesmerizing. 

Steve presses Danny down against the ground with a shit-eating grin on his face and leans down to take Danny's mouth in a thorough kiss, clearly forgetting that they have an audience. Danny can't help but groan into the kiss. 

Watching Danny in the ring, Tony gets more excited. He feels the exhilaration of a good fight building within him. Having been a cop, then an agent for years before his emergence means that Tony spent as much time training in hand to hand as most of the Alphas did. (Except the three in the presence who were in the most elite military forces.)

While seeing the two young dragons having their fun, Tony remembers his long-forgotten dream of sparring with Gibbs someday. He wasn't strong enough then. Gibbs could hurt him easily and would never see him as a sparring match in a box ring. Now everything changed. Besides, the sight of Danny not at the slightest disadvantage in a fight with Steve is enough proof to these Alphas that some Wyverns are capable fighters who, if necessary, would rather fight alongside their mates than hide behind them. 

Tony changes into a pair of grey sweatpants and a white cotton shirt. He tilts his head and looks at his mate hopefully. "Don't worry, I know you would never let me get hurt," he says and bends underneath the ropes to enter the ring. "Come on, LJ. Don't let them have all the fun." He jerks his head toward the two who are sitting on the floor outside of the square right now, who look tired but happy. The couple is leaning into each other, feeling the comfort of being close. Steve passes a bottle of water to Danny, beaming at his mate, fond eyes on the smiling blue eyes. As they watch, Steve brushes back a stray strand of blond hair. The Wyvern puts down the bottle, cups Steve's face and pulls him down into a deep kiss. 

They're so in love that they're never shy of showing their affection for the other. For years they had to satisfy themselves with casual touches and longing glances. Now they touch their mates because they can and they want. Sparring is only a simple way for them to get closer, to have fun together, to know more about each other. It's just like many other things they can do together now without being consumed with despair.

Standing not far from them, Blair, a scientist himself, gets quite interested in what he has observed during the few hours or the few days. He has never seen a Wyvern in a fight, let alone that they're practically grappling with their mates. To be honest, he has never considered working out with Jim. Keeping apace with his big mate would definitely be impossible, even his mate might try to slow his pace to his. It's simply ridiculous. He watches in amazement as Danny fights with admirable precision and fascinating grace and his military mate needs to be focused to keep up with him. It only ends when the two fall down together in a tangle of limbs. They kiss and grin, like it's only a game to them. 

Blair leans against his partner. "Seriously, man. I've never seen a Wyvern fighting. Do I need to be trained too? I don't think I can ever do that."

Jim makes an amused noise and wraps his arm around Blair's shoulders protectively. "You don't have any experience defending yourself, Chief. Of course you can't do that. It's just - they are different."

*

The Wyverns spend a lot of time discussing Danny's gifts and running through the possibilities. Danny is not a big fan of scientific theories but quite ironically in the end it's Danny who comes up with a plausible theory that the gifts that the teal Wyverns have are more useful in some very unusual situation. Say when they're at war.

Tony and Danny exchange a look and utter as one, "Interrogator!"

Blair nods, a serious expression on his face, as he contemplates the implications.

It's not in their nature to fight against each other, so if they are ever at war, they'd be against another species. There would be no better way to extract information they need from unwilling enemies than hypnotizing them.

Blair looks pensive, and Danny doesn't like that look at all. He has never been one for luck. 

"You got that thoughtful look on your face, Blair," Danny says in a deadpan voice. "As if something just clicked together. And it never bode well for me when people put on that face. Maybe I can just use it to make the suspects talk and therefore keep Steve from dangling them off the roof by the ankle."

"I can hear you Danny!" A muffled voice come from outside the room, but no one feels like smiling.


	15. Chapter 15

Danny slumps to their bed and sprawls on his stomach, his face buried in the heap of pillows, his hair messy and damp even after toweling it.

"Don't you ever feel tired, babe?" 

"No?" Steve follows him from the bathroom, with a spring in his step. His eyes flick to Danny's bare back and then slide involuntarily down to his exquisite backside. Danny only put on a pair of sweat shorts after showering. Steve bounces happily and then pounces on Danny like a giant cat leaps at its prey. 

"Ugh!" Danny cries out. "Are you serious? I feel sore everywhere. And you look like someone who didn't train like a crazy."

Steve straddles Danny's thighs, leans forward to press his fingers on Danny's back and works on the tense muscles there. Danny purrs instantly. 

"There," Danny groans into the pillow, but the noises he's making sound extremely sinful. "If you keep doing this, I'm sure you can bribe me into everything."

"Everything?" Steve's lips quirk up into a big grin.

"Stop thinking about those naughty things," Danny mumbles. He throws back his arm and swats on Steve's hip. "I know how your brain works and I can feel what you feel. Now, you're excited and horny. You think this is a challenge, but let me tell you, this is not!"

"You know me well, Danny," Steve says placidly, the big grin plastered firmly on his face. "So there's nothing I need to hide, right?" He pretends to flop down upon Danny, but is very careful not to crush Danny with all his weight. He drapes himself all over Danny and wraps his arms around him, busy peppering soft kisses on his spine scales.

Danny groans and starts writhing under his body, struggling to stay calm at the acute sensation. "You big dragon! Get off me. How much do you weigh? I feel like I have a dinosaur lying on my back."

"We're dragons, Danny." Steve keeps enjoying himself kissing and licking Danny's scales, making Danny gasp and whimper.

"Seriously, why did I have to be the one who lost pounds?" Danny stops struggling and squeezes his biceps to examine his muscles, then he reaches behind to feel his own ass. "I look different," Danny says sadly.

Steve sits up and checks Danny out, his face of a man who's studying the layout of a building to devise a rescue plan. "Your ass looks fine to me. Perfect. Very... Grope-able." He puts both of his hands on it and rubs it reverently, as if he's really trying to convey to Danny that he meant it.

Danny slaps the annoying hands away, for in this position he can hardly grab those hands without straining his muscles.

"I really need to hit the weights," Danny grumbles. "Blair said I was like a dancer when we sparred. A dancer! Can you believe it? Gracie dances. I was raised in Jersey and I boxed!"

Steve's lips twist. "You never told me you boxed. Let me have a look." 

"And I'm so doing squats. My ass used to be pert." Danny rubs his behind and sighs forlornly.

"Uh huh," Steve hums, sounding suspiciously happy.

Danny props up on his elbows and cranes his neck to look at Steve who scratches his chin and wears a thoughtful expression. Danny squints at him, "I feel I'm gonna regret asking you. But what's that face?"

"What face?" Steve answers absently, still staring at Danny's behind. "I'd say it looks pert to me. The exact shape I love."

He looks up and gives Danny a lopsided grin before he hooks his finger to tug at Danny's waistband.

"What the hell!" Danny cries out, trying to grab at his pants or Steve's hands. But Steve's faster. Much to Danny's chagrin, as usual, Steve manages to strip him naked at the speed of light. Steve sits back and straddles his things again before Danny even can turn around his body or squirm free of his mate's long arms. Danny feels that he really begins to resign himself to the fact that his Alpha is a secret ninja in bed and there's no way he can put up a fight here.

"Why are you worried about your body image?" Steve murmurs, stroking Danny's ass, as if he's mesmerized, as if he's feeling the most beautiful thing in the world. 

"Just feel I lost too many pounds," Danny mutters, lying still and purring occasionally. "Maybe it's my masculinity talking. I used to be compacted. I've been on the short side since I was a small boy. But I worked hard and I spent hours boxing every day. I stood my ground. Maybe I just feel nostalgic. I miss these days and miss my family." Danny's voice is tinged with sadness.

"Danny," Steve says softly. It's that kind of tone guys as tough and deadly as Steve would only use with the special person they love.

The big Alpha rolls off his mate's back and lies on his side. He reaches out and pulls his sad mate into his arms. He kisses Danny's hair and tucks his head against his shoulder. 

"You have me now. But it doesn't mean you won't see your family again. We can visit them together. We can take Grace with us and spend time with your family after we finish this training. What do you say?" 

Danny nods in silence, but he wraps his arm around Steve's waist and moves closer to his mate. 

"Still feeling sore?" Steve asks, rubbing his cheek against Danny's head.

"Yeah. I've been working out before but never felt so miserable."

"You didn't have enough time to get used to your new body. It normally takes a month to complete the emergence. Beside, most of Wyverns lost pounds during it. Ask Tony. He might have lost thirty pounds. I bet, among the Wyverns you know, Dr. Reid Spencer would be the only one who didn't lose weight. He's too thin."

Danny bites the teal band around Steve's upper arm and asks darkly, "Pray tell, how do you know a Wyvern's weight?"

Steve gasps at the sudden sensation. They end up tussling, rolling each other across the bed, laughing and chuckling, like two small boys playing with their best friend.

*

The following morning, Danny notices his Alpha looks decidedly twitchy, like he's planning something which is supposed to be a secret surprise but his big goof is too excited to hide it.

"Okay, spill it," Danny says with a resigned smile. 

"I take the day off!" Steve whispers in his ear without any more prompting. "We're going to fly today. Just the two of us. Jim gave me the day off and the coordinates of where we can shift and fly to our heart's content. Spending more time in your dragon form will help you adjust to your new body. In your human form as well, I mean." He gestures at Danny's body, face blushing for some reason. "You're worried, so I went to ask Blair. He told me that it may be because you used to work out a lot and keep your body toned, which means you didn't have much body fat before the emergence, so after your sudden loss of weight, your muscles will be strained to the limit when you exercise now. In a nutshell, you need more time and flying will help."

Danny gapes at him. It takes almost a minute for Danny to find his words. "You went to ask Blair for me? I thought you're scared of him."

"I'm not scared!" Steve lies firmly. "He just reminds me of one of my science teachers. It's not a very good memory. But that's right. I told him about your symptoms. You being worried got me worried too."

Danny snorts in amusement. "Okay, you're a big bad Alpha. You don't get scared." He leans in and drops a quick kiss on his Alpha's lips. "Thanks. I love you too."

Steve exults visibly at Danny's words. "Love you Danny. But no diving into water this time."

"Deal," Danny answers without hesitation.

Steve grins smugly, one hand on Danny's hip, the other carrying a basket in which their picnic lunch is safely stored. He's going to have a picnic date with Danny. How romantic it is! He's glowing with happiness until... They shift and take turns chasing each other in the sky.

Danny swoops down suddenly, gliding toward the trees. He doesn't slow down a bit, then he curls his long wings, turns his body around perpendicularly and unfurls the wings as he flies right between the huge trunks. 

It happens too fast. Steve just starts to feel that he finally gets the hang of flying, especially flying with a much better flyer like Danny, the next moment he catches sight of the trees and watches in amazement Danny disappear between the trees. More importantly, he finds he's about to crash into the trunk. He acts fast, thanks to a lifetime of military service. He's able to stop abruptly and change back into his human form. It's not a nice landing by any standard, for his momentum causes him to fall down and roll around on the ground. When he finally scrambles to his feet, covered with dirt, Danny is out of sight, probably out of the woods.

He should've known when Danny promised him no diving today, it was only because his Wyvern came up with other ideas to tease him. Danny would never pass up a chance like this. But hell is it fun! The same exhilaration he feels when he runs after armed bad guys, when he - in Danny's words - leaps across the gap between the roofs like a lunatic. 

And this is better. This is him and Danny enjoying the rush of adrenaline together. This is a way to show the world how great his mate is. His mate. They're two words he'll never get tired of. 

When he reaches the clearing, Danny's already there, back in his human form. He's not even panting. Drakes are stronger without doubt, but his Danny is definitely a wicked dragon. 

"You think this is funny?" He strides towards Danny who doesn't even bother to restrain himself from laughing. 

Later that night, Tony asks him casually, "did you have fun? Danny said you almost caught him this time." But Steve is sure Tony asks him this on purpose. There's no way he'd miss the glint of amusement in Tony's eyes.

Steve opens and shuts his mouth a few times. He's not going to give them satisfaction. He turns to Danny, wearing his wounded look, but his mate is trembling with laughter. "Relax," Danny says jokingly, grinning, "they don't know the details. And thanks again. I feel better now."

"You know what? This is because of our physical differences, Danny! We can't furl and unfurl our wings as easily as you do." Steve lifts his chin to show his indignation. "It's not very fair, Danny. You know it."

"You can simply stop chasing after me in the air or swooping down on me every time you spot me, like a hungry cat can't help but pounce on a bird." Danny gives him a playful swat on his butt before swaggering away. 

Without looking back, Danny knows that his big goof is following him. He'll never be afraid that he'd be left alone by his silly mate.

*

They're snuggling together on the couch, when Steve looks toward the door and stops kneading the tense muscles in Danny's thighs. "Tony and Gibbs want to have a word with us."

Danny gives him an inquisitive look after he double checks the clock on the wall. "Okay, but that's odd. It's quite late now."

Steve gives him a shrug before he says in a voice that all Alphas can hear. "Come on in."

"I'm afraid we have bad news for you guys," Tony sounds tensed, though his expression gives away nothing.

"What happened?" Danny's brows shoot up, looking concerned. Steve tightens his arm around his mate's waist involuntarily.

Tony takes a deep breath and gets to the point. "Catherine escaped from the Center. She was supposed to remain there until she gets a clearance from the shrink."

"I thought she was detained," Danny says in a whisper. 

"It's not like some high-tech super prison, but she still needs an ID card and passcode to get out of the building." Tony pauses for a moment. He scrunches his nose slightly as if he's preparing himself to go on. "She stole some sedative from the pharmacy and drugged a human staff member there whom she succeeded in befriending. She took his car too. We found the car, but have no idea where she is now."

Steve and Danny sit in stunned silence for a long moment before Danny asks first. "How's that guy?"

"Still out of it," Tony sighs and keeps rubbing his mate's hand, as if it can help him somehow. 

"We gave Jeremy a call to get him alerted and make sure your daughter have more dragons around her to protect her until we can say for certain she won't go after the little girl to get you," Gibbs says cautiously. "We're supposed to be in London the next week. If you want to go along, we can arrange it and leave tomorrow."

Danny feels his heat in his throat. "Is that possible?"

Tony and Gibbs look worried, but nod together.

"We'll go with you," Steve says firmly. "It's our job to protect our child." He looks down and holds Danny's gaze steadily, his eyes filled with love and protectiveness. Danny feels Steve's arm tightened around his middle, knowing that Steve is actually telling him, in his goofy way, that the three of them are family now and he'll do anything to protect them.


	16. Chapter 16

After learning Rachel comes from a wealthy family and doesn't like Danny for being a cop, Tony says nothing but arranges a limo to take them to Rachel's place. He walks them to the door and tells Danny offhandly, "Please tell Grace if she stays with us, she doesn't only have a manor house to explore, she has a whole park to herself. We're looking forward to having a little girl here to fill this place with laughter."

"That's very generous of you," Danny stammers. "Thank you for inviting her and accommodating us." 

Gibbs shakes his head fondly at Tony, aware that his mate hates to know first hand what money can do to a family and money would never give a kid a happy childhood. He knows that Tony always feels hurt and angry when someone disdains a person only because said person chooses to be a cop or the like instead of joining the family business or making money.

"Do you need us?" Gibbs asks Danny, looking a little concerned. "We can go with you or you can take Tony's solicitor."

"No, thanks. Rachel and her family don't like dragons very much. If we take too many dragons with us, especially Alphas like you, they might take offense."

"Okay, keep us in the loop and good luck." Gibbs tells Danny sincerely before turns to Steve. "Take care of your guy and the little girl. Tony said he'd like to cook if you bring her back."

"Yup, that's what I said," Tony chimes in. "Bring the girl back, I'll treat you to the most delicious handmade Italian food. Without the girl, you can order pizza for dinner."

Gibbs' resolve to refrain himself from laughing out cracks the moment he catches the shocked look on Danny's face. "He meant it and he's an excellent cook." Gibbs says proudly and pats Tony's shoulder.

"Thanks," Steve says before he gets into the car. "Really. Thanks, Gibbs."

*

"Dragon or not, I'm still her father!" Danny gets exasperated, but he still puts a hand on Steve's arm to remind him that they have agreed to let Danny talk with his ex. Steve's tense and simmering with anger.

"Yeah, you're an Omega which you never told us," Rachel says dryly, her whole posture telegraphing her uneasiness. "Do you ever think about that having an Omega father would affect a girl's life?"

"What do you mean by that?" Danny asks incredulously.

"You're basically the girl in the relationship. Might become a mother in the future. Who knows what would happen to a dragon? But my daughter wouldn't have an Omega as a father. People will make fun of her, and she might get hurt." Rachel starts tapping her foot impatiently, which, Danny knows well from years of living together, means she feels annoyed or cornered.

"Normal people wouldn't bully a little girl because her father is a dragon or a Wyvern," Danny snaps.

"Whatever you say. I'll sue for full custody of Grace. Until we get a ruling from the court --"

"Rachel, don't push me," Danny cuts her off coldly. "You know you won't win. I can take a lawyer with me today, but I respect you as my only child's mother. I don't know why you and your family hate dragons, especially Wyverns, but all I want is to protect my daughter. Which you can't do, because you have no dragon in your family."

"Daniel!" Rachel speaks sharply. "You put her in danger. You get a crazy woman going after you. Why would I let my daughter stay with you since you're the problem?!"

"Because you can't protect her. But I can. Steve can. I'm sorry we have a lunatic who is obsessive and gets a problem with our relationship. But it's not our fault. And we'll do everything to keep Grace safe."

"I don't trust an Alpha anywhere near my little girl," Rachel says and cuts Steve a sidelong look.

"Are you out of mind?" Danny yells at her. "This is Steve we are talking about. You know him, even you wish you didn't. But he'll die for Grace. I trust him with my life and Grace's life. Don't tell me you don't know what he did before. He saved Grace's life before. And he'll do anything for Grace."

"I assume you guys are married?" 

"If you mean bonded, yes, we are. And we are registered with the Council as a bonded couple, who have the same rights as any married human couple. So basically we're married."

"So he'll share your parental rights?" Rachel asks him dryly, her expression a mix of tense and angry. 

"We share everything. We'll co-parent our kid." Danny holds up his hand to stop Rachel from talking. "Please. Just don't do this. We only want to keep Grace from harm, not from you. She'll stay with you as we agreed after we eliminate the threat."

"I'm not sure, Daniel," Rachel trails off.

"Goddamnit! What do you want? My promise?"

"Danno! Uncle Steve!" Grace's excited squeal comes from the doorway. Then the door is open and the next moment Grace bounces into the room.

"Grace! I told you to stay in your room!" Rachel says sternly.

"Sorry mommy. I heard Danno and uncle Steve." Grace gives her an apologetic look before he runs to hug her Danny.

"Wow! Danno!" She looks at his throat and observes in awe. "Your scales look like a necklace! It's beautiful! Are you really a dragon now? Like uncle Steve? That's cool! Is that uncle Steve's scales? Is that deep blue?" 

Danny kneels down in front of his little girl and looks her in the eye. "Yes, I'm a dragon now. Do you dislike it?"

"Of course not! I love it! It's so cool!"

Steve crouches down beside Danny and shows Grace the teal band on his upper arm. "Look, Gracie. This is your Danno's. Is that the most beautiful thing in the world?"

Grace stares at the teal scales, eyes wide. "The whole universe! It's blue too." She casts her eyes back to Danny and says in excitement. "Danno, your scales are blue too! Just like uncle Steve's."

"Is that so?" Danny smiles at her dotingly. "When did you become so smart?"

Gracie giggles. "Can I touch it? I'll only touch your wrist. Our teachers said it's rude to touch a throat band."

"And you're the politest little girl." Danny smiles and holds out his hand. "Go ahead."

Grace puts her fingers on the band tentatively. She watches her father's face to see if there's any sign of being uncomfortable. Then she appeals to Steve who gives her a nod. She strokes the scales lightly, eyes wide and mouth open. 

"Wow," Grace exclaims. "Wow!" She turns her eyes upon Danny in admiration as the two dragons beam at her fondly. 

Danny stands up and tells her in a soft voice, "I need to have a word with your mother and her lawyer. Can you help me keep an eye on your uncle Steve? Don't let him do anything stupid."

"Okay, Danno." Grace nods at once, her smile broader. "I can take him to the garden."

"Thanks, young lady!" Danny gives her a thumbs up and turns to tell his mate who grins like an idiot at him and Grace, glowing with pure bliss. "Now you're in the charge of my girl." 

Grace grabs Steve's hand and drags him toward the door while looking at him hopefully. "Did you come to pick me up? Are you bonded with my Danno? My teacher told us bonded dragons are like married people. Are you married?"

"Yes, we bonded. Do you like it?" Steve asks as calmly as he can, but in fact he's a nervous wreck right now.

"Yes. So you're my step-Steve now?" Grace stares at him expectantly. 

"I guess I am."

"Cool! I have a super dragon now!" Grace giggles and holds out her pinkie. "Don't tell Danno. But I miss you a lot too, almost as much as I miss Danno."

Steve feels his heart about to hammer out of his chest with all kinds of emotions. "I miss you too baby girl. We're family now." He kneels in front of Grace and hold out his hand solemnly. "Young lady, please allow me to take care of you and your Danno. Let me adore and protect the two of you. I promise you I'll love the two of you till the end of the world."

"I give you my permission," Grace replies seriously and takes his hand to squeeze it a little before she flings her arms around Steve's neck. "Take care of my Danno!"

"I will! And I will take care of you too." Steve holds the little girl tight and for the first time in his life he feels that he has his own small family.


	17. Chapter 17

"Your Danno is looking for us," Steve says and squeezes her hand gently to get her attention when Grace is busy pointing out her favorite flowers to him.

"You can feel it?" Grace looks at him him, eyes bright. "Wow."

"Yes, I can feel how your Danno feels," Steve explains patiently. "That's the bonding thing. Our bond enables us to do that."

Grace seems to think about it carefully before she beams up at him. "That's awesome. Does it mean you'll know it when Danno doesn't feel well? He never told people when he got ill. But you'll know that, right? So you can take care of him, even he doesn't tell us he feels poorly."

Steve is surprised. He doesn't know if it is just Grace or every little kid can pick up on discomfort of their parents. But he's glad that she cares for her Danno as much as he does. "That's right. We'll take care of him together. The two of us. Okay?"

"Okay! And you'll tell me if you note Danno feels sick." Grace pulls at his hand and continues, "I can teach you how to make chicken noodle soup. Danno taught me. It's grandma's secret recipe. Every Williams eats that when we fall ill."

Steve blinks in surprise. "Your Danno made me that soup once when he thought I was ill. He got me to eat a huge bowl of it. He just glared at me and said nothing. When Danny stops talking, it's just scary."

Grace giggles. "Danno must have seen you as one of us. He was lonely when I didn't stay with him." She turns her head and looks deep into Steve's eyes. "But I think he's happy when he's with you. You make him happy."

Steve's expression becomes serious, his eyes filled with sincerity and love. "I have every intention of keeping it that way."

"You guys look like having fun," Danny says with amusement as he struts toward them. The sight of his mate and his daughter holding hands and chatting happily brings on a big smile. And Tony was right. This is a lifelong relationship. Keeping this in mind will surely make any doubt go away. 

"Danno!" Grace squeals with delight. She drops Steve's hand and runs to her father.

"Okay Monkey, go inside and pack your things up. I've talked to your mother. You'll stay with us for a while."

"Where do we go? Are we going home?"

"We'll stay here and live with a couple of our friends for a while," Danny says. "Actually, Tony wanted me to tell you you will have a whole manor to explore, including its big park."

"Wow! Mr. Tony is very generous. Can I call him Mr. Tony?"

"His name is Anthony DiNozzo." Danny strokes her hair lovingly. "I think he'll like you to call him Tony. You can ask him later."

"Anthony DiNozzo? That DiNozzo? Danno you have a very famous friend!"

"You heard about him?" Danny asks in surprise.

"I took classes on dragons, Danno. Every kid knows about him." With the resigned look on her face, Grace spreads her hands in way that seems to mean "I'm a good student, why did you get so surprised that I had dragon lessons."

*

"Do you know Tony is a Paddington?" Danny asks Steve.

"No, why?"

"Rachel and her lawyer gasped when I gave them Tony's address and promised her she can stop by to see Grace herself. They said something about Paddington family and then relented somehow."

*

Tony knows he's not good with kids. They never felt comfortable in his presence. And so did he. Whenever a case involving kids - whether they were victims or witnesses or even suspects (he does know cases involving underage suspects) - popped up before, he turned to Gibbs for help and let the older man take care of them. It's not that children don't like him. (Well, maybe they truly don't like him.) Considering his own bizarre unorthodox childhood, it's not really a surprise that he doesn't get the hang of talking to a kid. But this time he feels it might not go badly.

Every child in the dragon community is cherished, especially those who were fathered by an Alpha or Wyvern, since physical reproduction is still a delicate situation for Alpha Drake and Wyvern couples. 

Besides Danny, Alpha Aaron Hotchner has a son. And Tony knows that Jethro had a girl and Alpha Jack O'Neill had a son. It seems there are so few of children born to Alphas and Omegas. They have every reason to love and care for these kids.

As his mind is drifting, the trio gets off the car and walks towards them.

At the sight of these two men waiting at the entrance, Grace pulls her hands from Danny's and Steve's, as if she's a little embarrassed to be caught holding hands with her dad and Steve like a little girl. Smiling shyly, she says, "Hi, Mr. DiNozzo and Mr. Gibbs. Nice to meet you. I'm Grace Williams. Thank you for inviting me here. It's very beautiful."

"You can call me Tony," the Wyvern says, extending his hand.

Grace looks at the offered hand, confused. "My teachers said it's inappropriate to shake a Wyvern's hand."

Tony chuckles. "They're probably right. But when a Wyvern offers his hand first, I think it's all right for you to shake it. Besides, I like you a lot. Maybe a hug will be better." He crouches down and gives her a wink.

Grace's face lights up. "I like you too, Mr. Tony." She steps forward and gives Tony a hug.

Seeing his mate gather a kid in his arms, Gibbs is astonished to say the least. His eyes move from the girl to her father who's beaming proudly like every loving parent does. He reflects that Danny could keep talking about his little girl for hours, face glowing with pride. Just like what he did before. He never mentioned he had a daughter to these two young men. At first, he didn't see the need to mention it, since they weren't that close to share the stories of his girls. Later, when he warmed to them slowly, he began to wonder what it would be like if his Kelly were alive. Would she and Tony get along? Like the way Grace trusts Steve and the way Steve's whole face brightens whenever Grace shows affection for him.

He smiles at her. "Your dad is the luckiest young man to have the prettiest little girl and you take after him."

"I have two dads," the girl corrects him. "Uncle Steve is my dad too. He's married to my Danno."

"That's right! You have two awesome dads."

"We're a pack now! The three of us." The girl turns slightly towards Steve who looks like about to bounce around happily if Grace doesn't reach out and tug at his big hand. 

"Pack?" Gibbs lifts his brow and looks back at Danny.

"She's reading werewolf fictions now. It means family." Danny covers Grace's ears with his hands and continues, "And some novels about a vampire creepy enough to watch a teenage girl sleeping." The long-suffering look on Danny's face is just priceless and Grace is watching them with her big eyes, a shy smile on her face.

"Danno, I can hear you," Grace says in a feigned resigned voice and pulls her father's hands down. She turns her head slightly and exchanges a look with Steve as if she's saying, "Danno's being silly again. Please do something."

Tony is more than a little surprised at how easy it seems for this little girl to accept an Alpha dragon. But going by the way Grace pays equal attention to Danny and Steve, it's obvious that she loves Steve and sees him as her family. And judging by the stupid smile Steve gives Grace, Tony is sure that this big badass Alpha is willing to do any ridiculous thing for this girl.

"You like Steve a lot?" Tony can't help but blurt out.

Grace nods. It looks like that she really wants to tell everyone how close they have always been. "We used to spend a lot of time at Steve's place when I stayed with Danno."

"It's your home now, Gracie," Steve returns a smile which only reminds Tony of a doting father. And it's really hard for him to reconcile the tough SEAL with this guy who gives his family his sweet smile all the time.

"Really?" Grace looks up at him, her smile even bigger. "Does it mean that room is mine now?"

"It's always yours," Steve says.

"Can I paint my room pink?" Grace looks at Steve hopefully.

"Whatever color you like. And we can go pick up some new furniture for you together after we go home."

"You'll let me choose?" She can't even hide the note of wonder from her voice.

Steve whispers to Grace conspiratorially, "As long as Danno doesn't keep complaining about it. You know Danno. He won't stop nagging!"

Grace giggles. "You're right. We don't like Danno being upset."

"Hey! I'm not like that!" 

"You are, Danno!" Grace and Steve chorus.

*

Tony begins to feel that it might not be that hard to be around a kid. Just look at Steve when he's with Grace. It's nearly impossible to imagine that Steve is, in fact, more like Gibbs - an intimidating, taciturn and aloof leader. When he's with his small family, he's absolutely the goofy daddy who has been besotted by their little girl. Danny always accuses him of spoiling Grace and catering to every whim of the girl without second thought. Tony swears that Grace has wrapped Steve around her litter finger long before he and Danny bonded. So maybe one of these days he will be ready to raise a kid with his mate. 

"So Miss Gracie, your room is next to your dads'. And there's a library in the house. I'm sure there will be books appropriate for your age."

"Thank you, Mr. Tony. I'd like to read some books about dragon history."

Tony's brows shoot up in surprise. "I thought you'd like some supernatural novels or fairy tales."

"I want to know more about dragons, if it won't cause too much trouble," Grace says politely.

"No, it won't. May I ask why?"

"Uncle Steve is the coolest dragon! And he's bonded to Danno now." Grace enthuses before she adds demurely. "Mr. Gibbs and you are awesome too, but uncle Steve is my super dragon!"

Tony smiles at her. "It's okay. Do you know what being bonded means?"

Grace bites her lip and thinks for a while. Then she looks up and says, "It means they're married and they won't get a divorce."

"It's the best sum-up I've ever heard."

*

Danny has always played straight with Grace, so he sits her on a chair and explains to her why she needs to stay with them when she is supposed to spend time with her mother's family.

"Do you remember Catherine? The female Beta dragon you once saw at Steve's place."

"Yeah," Grace answers, her eyes flicking to Steve, looking concerned. It's clear that she remembers the big scene she witnessed a few months ago.

"It turns out she has a problem with our relationship. So we need you to stay close to us. And if we don't have time to play with you, we'll find some other dragons to keep you company. Just never be alone. OK?"

Grace nods.

"I'm sure it won't last long." Danny strokes her hair, trying to comfort her.

"Why does she have a problem?" 

"She - she likes Steve too."

"But Steve loves you," Grace points out and returns her eyes to Steve's. "Right?"

Steve pats her hand and says firmly, "Right. I love Danno. He's the only one I've ever wanted to be bonded to."

Grace purses her lips, her brows knitted. "So it's like Swan Lake. The bad black sawn likes the prince, but the prince doesn't like her. So she hurts the white swan and tries to have the prince to herself." Grace looks back at them and gives them a reassuring smile. "I won't run around by myself. Can I take out my clothes and books now?"

The two men nod numbly and watch Grace jump out of the chair and go unpack her bags.

"Is that age appropriate?" Steve whispers to Danny, looking appalled. "I know it's a classic, but why does the story sound a little too dark for a kid?"

Danny's lips are twitching. "That's only a start, babe. If you think parenting is all about befriending her, you're in for a rude awakening, my friend. Wait until she's a teenager. You have no idea what a teenage girl is capable of."

"I thought that's your job to be firm with her."

"And you just goof around with her? Be the coolest dad? Sorry, babe. I don't want to be the only bad guy here."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grace is nine, so she doesn't sound too naive or look too clingy to her two badass dragons.

"Uncle Steve! Uncle Steve!" With an excited squeal, Grace scampers toward Steve who is sitting on a chair near a window.

"Gracie." Steve's face breaks into a huge smile the moment he hears Grace's voice. He scoops her up and settles her on his lap.

Grace leans back against Steve's chest and opens the huge tome she's been reading to a page. "Look at this, Uncle Steve. Why was there a war between dragons and humans?"

Steve peers at the illustration which depicts that famous war. Considering carefully how to explain a war to a 9-year-old, Steve asks, "Did you watch that movie, X-Men?"

Grace nods and then Steve continues. "People in that movie tries to eliminate the mutants out of fear. They think that mutants have more powerful gifts and will become a threat to their kind."

"But the mutants didn't want to start the war at first." She scrunches up her nose in the way she always does when she finds something hard to believe.

"You're right. But the mutants do have some gifts that ordinary people are having a hard time getting their heads around. And people, dragons or humans, tend to fear things they don't understand. There was a time when we feared lightning and thunder. And sometimes when people fear something, they want to remove every possibility that said thing will grow into a threatening force. And it's pretty much the same reason for the War."

Grace nods, her brows knitted. "So you're saying at that time humans feared dragons so they wanted to kill every single one of them."

"That's right. It's a little like the witch hunt. Those women were not even witches."

Grace turns to face him, a shy smile lingering on her lips. "I read about that too. I like history."

"You know Gracie, it's wrong for any species to wipe out the entire population of another species only because they fear their power or gifts or intelligence. Meanwhile, it's also extremely wrong for a more advanced race who might be more intelligent or have more powerful gifts and highly developed technology, to use them to subjugate others."

"Just like the big kids at school shouldn't bully other kids," Grace says firmly.

Lips quirking up into a proud smile, Steve says with a nod, "That's right. You're such a brilliant young girl."

"Do you believe there are aliens?"

"Yes, I do. Maybe someday we'll encounter some of them who might have much more advanced civilization than we do."

"But if they wants to enslave us?" Grace tilts her head to look at him.

"Then we fight back hard. Nothing would stop us from protecting our family and our home." Steve holds her tighter and lands a soft kiss on her hair. "We'll do everything to protect the ones we love."

Grace puts her hands on his big one and says, "I want to protect people like you and Danno do when I grow up."

Steve lifts his brow. "You want to be a cop?"

"Yes, like Danno," she answers absently, drawing indecipherable patterns on his palm with her fingers. Then she looks up at him with a smile. "I also want to join the Navy like you. But I haven't decided yet."

Steve blinks at her, trying to get his overwhelmed brain back online again. He's so caught off guard by her expression of admiration which is enough to make her even think about following in his footsteps. He sits there, holding his little girl - yes, she is his little girl now - with a lump in his throat. "You have plenty time to decide," he finally manages to get the words out of his mouth. "But you will always be our little girl."

*

"Danno!" Grace calls out, waving at Danny while still sitting on Steve's lap. "Uncle Steve says there are aliens somewhere!"

"Yeah, your uncle Steve is such a geek sometimes," Danny replies teasingly.

"And our girl wants to be a cop or join the Navy when she grows up, Danno," Steve retorts with a wicked grin.

"What?" Danny screams.

"I told you Danno will bristle," Steve whispers to Grace who grins knowingly.

"No, no, no, no," Danny interrupts. "Those are very bad ideas. How about being a librarian Grace? You like reading. You can work in a library and have millions of books to read."

Looking down at the twin amused expressions, Danny levels a finger at Steve. "What did you do, Steve? Why does this sweet innocent little girl want to be a soldier?"

"She's not going to join the Army to be a soldier, Danno," Steve points out meekly.

"Whatsoever there's no way I'd let our little girl anywhere near a gun or explosive or anything you like," Danny keeps going. "For god's sake, I just left the room for ten minutes at most. And the girl who was reading a book wants to be a SEAL like her stupid, crazy --"

"There's no female SEALs, right?" Grace asks Steve, looking confused.

"Not now," Steve says with a big grin. "But maybe they'll accept female SEALs after they find out what amazing young women can do."

Grace grins back. "I think I like puzzles more. Like what you did in the Navy - Naval -- what's it?"

"Naval Intelligence," Steve offers.

"Monkey," Danny tries weakly, "any other possible career path in which no weaponry is involved?"

Grace keeps giggling as Steve tries to help, "She just wants to be like you, protecting people. And she's only nine. Relax, Danny. This is not the end of the world. Besides Gracie told me she hasn't decided."

"Okay, fine," Danny concedes for now, deciding that he'll be on the constant lookout for any sign that his little girl is thinking about becoming a soldier or a sailor or whatever. "Somehow the words coming out of your mouth sound less relaxing."

*

The weird thing is that he doesn't feel the least weird when he is in the small library looking through records while Gracie sits at the desk nearby reading books and his mate is on a computer talking with their teammates back at home to be in the loop of everything - despite his grouchiness, Steve understands that he has to let them lead the investigation this time when he wants very much to track down Catherine himself and makes sure that she'll be nowhere near his family again.

Having the two people he loves the most close, Danny feels surprisingly perkier, in an upbeat mood which according his goofball of mate is almost an impossible mission. And Danny refrains himself from telling Steve every time that his craziness and his lack of understanding of how civilized society works are the main reasons why Danny is in a mood in the first place. The few times he did tell Steve, his deliberately obtuse mate didn't even have the courtesy to pretend to express his regret.

Catherine is at large now, probably coming after them - he refuses to say "she's definitely coming after him." (He knew that Steve is way out of his league - he's strong, handsome and super sweet when he wants to be. Everyone wants Steve. Otherwise what did Danny do to deserve to have a deranged former Naval Intelligence officer, a beta dragon hate his guts?) Maybe she's not a very big looming threat, Danny thinks. Now if he can keep his negative thoughts from taking up more room of his mind than usual. Surely his big badass Alpha will put an end to it once for good if given the chance. Come to think of it, Danny muses, it would be a much harder job to save the whole world from an angry Steve when he goes into rampage mode.

Danny chuckles, amused, drawing attention to himself unwittingly. Steve lifts an eyebrow in question, and Grace looks up from the book only to find her Danno and Steve communicating silently. They are doing that annoying thing again, just holding each other's gaze with small facial expressions, as if they are talking. Maybe even arguing (read: bickering and bantering), considering their track record. With a slight roll of eyes, Grace goes back to reading.

 _Why are you laughing?_ Steve looks him up and down skeptically.

 _I was thinking about you._ Danny flashes him a smile, the one that makes the corners of his eyes crinkle, the one that Steve is helpless against.

 _Really?_ Steve tries to put on his "I'll know if you're lying" face, though somehow a goofy grin manages to creep onto his face.

 _Got anything on Catherine?_ Danny's expression becomes concerned.

 _Nothing._ Steve shakes his head slightly. _But don't worry. You have me. We're together._ His lips curls up into a small smile, his eyes filled with love.

 _You big goof. Love you too._ Danny wraps his arms around Steve's waist and lets his mate hold him close, engulfed by the scent of pure Steve which always makes him feel safe and reminds him of home.


	19. Chapter 19

It's a pretty day. The sun is out. It's warm and not scorching like everywhere else in summer. Danny is reluctant to admit that after years of listening to Steve bragging about everything in Hawaii, he actually warmed to the place where his mate was born and grew up. He doesn't know whether his affinity for that pineapple-infested rock comes from his feelings for his goof or not, but he's sure about one thing - he's used to the weather there. The stupid sun, as blinding as Steve's smile; the light breeze, as refreshing as the cold beers he enjoyed with Steve.

In short, considering that they're thousands of miles away from home, it's kinda a pleasant day in a way and Grace wants to go around the whole Park, so here they are, walking through a beautiful wood which stretches over a wide extent, with four Betas trailing behind them as guards. Tony has insisted that they take protection detail with them, even they're still on his property. The legendary pair has been mysteriously busy these days. More importantly, Tony looks suspiciously guilty sometimes. Since Tony's empathy is much stronger than Danny's, if Tony wants to hide his emotions from Danny, it's nearly impossible for Danny to detect it at all. That's weird, Danny thinks to himself.

But Grace is excited to be outside with Danny and Steve which is enough to lighten Danny's mood. She sees and admires every spot and sight. She can't stop laughing and talking about that BBC historical drama and that she thought Tony looked like a charming lord when she first saw him.

Secretly, Danny decides that it's at least much better than those vampire or werewolf tv series. Still, he'd rather his little girl not to read any Jane Austen novels until she's 21. He'd hate to know she gets infatuated with Mr. Darcy, even he's clearly much nicer than a centuries-year-old vampire. 

Brooding over the future romantic encounter(s) Grace may have, Danny strides across a clearing without realizing that other people don't keep up with him. Then suddenly he hears the swoosh above his head and Grace's scream a dozen yards away.

He looks up and finds a magenta dragon swooping down on him with venom. 

Steve watches in extreme desperation as the dragon plunges downward to attack his mate. Danny jumps backward nimbly and turns away from the first attack. The next moment, he shifts into his dragon form and a shiny teal Wyvern, glittering in the afternoon sunshine, unfurls his elegant wings and soars into the air.

There's a loud thump when Catherine collides with the ground. It looks like she never expected that Danny would be able to escape from her attack. She gets disoriented for a short moment, then she looks up and leaps into the air, aiming at Danny again.

Steve's heart is pounding furiously now, for he knows that physically Wyverns are at a major disadvantage. They're weak and fragile compared to Alphas and even Betas. And he has the strong feeling that there's something wrong with Catherine. She seems stronger and faster than she should be. So much faster that Steve doesn't think he can make it to his mate in time, when he followed his first instinct and shielded Grace with his body after he caught sight of the furious beta. He knows that this is what Danny wants and expects him to do, but he still feels the despair swelling inside him. He can't get there and help Danny in time. He rasps out orders to the Betas accompanying them and crouches down before the terrified girl. He takes her hands and looks her in the eye. 

"I need to go help Danno, Gracie. Can you stay with them? They'll keep you safe." Steve gestures towards the Betas with them.

Grace nods, her face smeared with tear. 

Steve stands up and runs across the clearing. He shifts and flies into the sky. All his attention is focused on his mate, the smaller dragon who veers from side to side every time it looks like Catherine is about to catch him. He can practically see the anger and frustration radiating from her. 

At the sight of his big Alpha charging towards his attacker, Danny swerves and rises high above the Beta. Then, much to Steve's consternation, he furls his wings and crashes down on Catherine's back. The sudden added weight surprises her and causes her to drop and have to face Steve's anger directly. Danny feels Catherine's flinch right before he takes flight. So, mild to Steve, vicious to him, Danny thinks sourly. 

Catherine doesn't even try to put up a fight with the angry Alpha Drake when Steve lunges and snaps at her. It's clear that he has no problem destroying her. She drops on the ground with an agonized scream and stays still under Steve's fierce glower after he lands not far away from her, with Danny at his heels. Steve budges with a displeased grunt and blocks her view of the smaller shiny dragon. If under any other circumstance, Danny would laugh at his mate's irritating but somehow cute protectiveness, but not now. Not when he can feel Catherine's anger, jealousy, fear and... Hope? Why does she feel hope when Steve keeps snarling at her?

Catherine hisses, her tail whipping angrily. It seems she's considering charging at them again. 

Danny changes back into his human form and bends underneath Steve's huge wing to make himself visible. He stays close to Steve, knowing his mate would grab him back if he so much as put another inch between them. He stands there, one hand on Steve's body to reassure him. Steve rumbles unhappily and curls his long wing which is surreptitiously close to Danny.

"Look at me, Catherine," Danny calls out, not pulling his hand away from Steve. "You don't want to hurt Steve, right? You want him to be happy. Change back. Let's talk."

Catherine holds his unyielding gaze, hissing. Steve roars with anger.

"See, you're making him unhappy," Danny says without inflection. "That's not what you want. Change back, Catherine!"

The female Beta looks like wavering. She growls at Danny but flinches when Steve snarls warningly. She hisses again and changes back.

"That's not too hard, right?" Danny asks and puts a hand on Steve's forearm after his mate shifts back. "Don't move. Let's talk." Danny's voice becomes low and mesmerizing. 

He stares into her eyes which are glinting with anger. Danny takes a deep breath and says in a flat and conciliatory tone, "I know you want Steve to be happy."

"I want him to be happy with me!" Catherine snaps.

"No, no, no," Danny corrects her, "you want him to be happy. No strings."

There's a long silence before she replies reluctantly, "Yes, I guess so." Her eyes are fixed on Danny's blue ones.

Danny keeps his hand on Steve's arm, stroking him reassuringly. He doesn't take his eyes away from Catherine's. "You will do anything to keep Steve safe and make him happy, because that's all you want to do."

"Of course I'll do everything for him!" 

"So from this moment on, you'll think about whether Steve will be unhappy about whatever you're about to do before you put it into action." 

Although it's not a pleading or an order, Catherine cocks her head slightly, clearly torn between the options. "That's right. I will do that."

Ignoring the concerned looks Steve shoots his way, Danny continues, "So tell us, how did you know our whereabouts?"

"I got some help."

"From?"

For a few moments there's only silence. Danny can tell the conflicting emotions warring on her face. 

"Goddess," she says through gritted teeth.

Danny gets confused. "What do you mean?"

"The true divinity," Catherine says in an awed voice. "She gave me powers and showed me the secrets of the universe."

"That's why you're much stronger and faster," Danny prompts.

"Yes. Goddess promised to give me mental abilities later as well," Catherine says proudly. "I'm better. I can be a better mate. Steve will be greater with me. Goddess will make him the most powerful and dignified dragon in the whole universe."

Danny tightens his grip on Steve's arm to stop him from doing anything reckless. "Will Steve be happy if that happens? You know him. You've known him for two decades."

"No," she answers after a long while. "He won't be happy."

"So?" The icy blue eyes stares straight into her eyes.

"I won't let that happen," Catherine says haltingly.

"You are doing great," a serious cold voice comes from behind them. "We'll take it from here." Danny almost jumps at the voice if Steve doesn't pull him into his arms. He doesn't realize that Gibbs and Tony have been here for a while.

The older Alpha steps forward, keeping the two Wyverns between him and Steve. "Catherine, we need your help to prevent that from happening. Will you come with us?"

Catherine's eyes flick from Danny to Steve, her face contorted. "Catherine, think about it carefully," Danny says encouragingly and pinches Steve's arm imperceptibly in a way that says "do your stupidly cute wounded puppy look now!" 

Steve growls inwardly and makes a mental note to guilt-trip Danny into making it up to him by giving him the sad eyes. What the hell makes his mate think that he's able to wear a soft expression when he looks at someone who's tried to hurt his family several times? He pinches Danny back secretly and sends his unhappiness through their bond before he manages to put on a slightly distorted puppy face.

Catherine stares at him. "I," she stammers, "I will never do anything to hurt you."

Steve forces a tight smile and nods. "I know."

"We need your help," Gibbs reminds her.

"I - I can't. Goddess will be angry."

"Catherine," Danny meets her eyes. "Anything. You're going to do anything for him." The enchanting blue eyes are on hers, resolute and sparkling.

Catherine nods numbly. "Yes. Anything." 

Gibbs motions with his eyes for the other Betas to flank the rogue dragon. He turns to her and jerks his head towards the main road. "Come on, let's get started. You'll be very helpful to Steve and us."

Gibbs exchanges a mysterious look with Tony and leaves with the other dragons.

Danny looks at them in confusion. "You don't go with them?" He asks Tony.

Tony grabs his wrist while saying in a soothing voice, "I'm more concerned for you right now." 

"What happened?" Steve asks, holding his mate, afraid that Danny would just fall to ground if he ever pulls his hands away. "Where's Gracie? Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Tony says. "She's back in the house with those betas she has played with these few days. They won't let anything happen to her. Don't worry." 

Steve's expression softens a little before he becomes frantic with worry again. "So there's something wrong with Danny?"

"Nothing wrong," Tony reassures him and lets go of Danny. He looks at the blond and says, "I believe you just used your other gifts and hypnotized her."

"I what?" Danny turns his eyes upon Tony in astonishment. He looks a bit dazed.

"Danny?" Steve calls him softly.

"I don't know," Danny mutters, rubbing his face. "I didn't know what I was doing and why. I just had the feeling that I needed to do that. I can't let her hurt anyone, maybe even including herself."

"Don't worry," Tony says and puts a hand on Danny's shoulder. "It happened to other Wyverns before. We didn't know why and just went with it. Don't try to rationalize your impulses. Especially now. Since this was the first time you did that, it could take a toll on you and you might feel exhausted now. So let's get you back and Steve will take care of you. We are gonna have a long talk later. Well, about this and some other things."


	20. Chapter 20

"Before I go to bed, I need to grab something to eat first," Danny says tiredly while rubbing his eyes to keep the drowsiness at bay.

"I already asked the staff to bring some food in," Tony replies with a smile and takes a seat on the chair near the loveseat the couple is on. Danny tucks his legs up and leans against his mate while Steve drapes an arm around his shoulder.

Danny yawns and stares at Tony from his heavy-lidded eyes. "I have a feeling that you want to tell me something else before I completely succumb to the pull of sleep."

"That's quite right," Tony acknowledges. "I was a little surprised. Most of the Wyverns only feel tired after they push their abilities to the limit or they use them without practice. All they need to do is to sleep it off. But it seems that you need food as well as rest to recoup your strength. It's rare but not unheard of. Just want you to know this. It will be fine after you eat and sleep."

Danny nods sleepily in Steve's arms. He slides down a little and snuggles his head into Steve's shoulder.

Tony smirks in amusement and tells Steve, "Keep him hydrated. We don't know how long he'll feel drowsy and can't keep awake. I'll get the meals delivered to your room. And the fridge in your suite is well stocked. I'll check in on you guys tomorrow. Enjoy your alone time."

Tony opens the door and lets the staff set the food on the table. Then he nods at the couple and takes his leave. The staff follow him and leave the couple to themselves.

*

Danny yawns again as he's busy loading up his fork. "Babe, I want to tell Gracie I'm fine before I fall asleep."

Steve frowns at the steak and fries that Danny helps himself to. "I'm calling her guard." He gives Danny another glance with the phone pressed against his ear. "Will you eat some more healthy food? Like that salad?"

"I'm starving now," Danny says through a mouthful. "And those green things don't have an appeal."

Steve doesn't even have enough time to coax Danny into eating at least a forkful of salad before the door is swung open and Grace rushes in. "Danno! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Monkey," Danny says as he puts down the fork. "Sorry for getting you worried."

Grace climbs onto Danny's lap, clasps her arms around his neck and presses her cheek against his. "I know Steve and you will always win."

Danny pecks her cheek, smiling, as Steve squats down in front of them. "I promised you I will protect Danny. I'd never let you down. And you know what? Danno was super awesome. I was shocked when he just slammed into her and brought her down."

Grace's eyes widen with surprise. "Whoa! Danno, you are a super dragon too. But did you get hurt?" Then she turns to Steve. "And uncle Steve, did you?"

"No," Danny answers in a soft voice. "I didn't get hurt, neither did Steve."

"Your Danno just feels tired," Steve explains. "He used up his energy."

"Like that super hero!"

"Hmmm," Steve says uncertainly, not having any idea what Grace's talking about, "right."

Grace beams at him, then gives her Danno another hug.

*

Danny stretches on the bed luxuriously before he pulls his own pillow - one Steve McGarrett close and puts his head on Steve's shoulder while getting his mate's arm wrapped around him.

"What did Gracie talk about? Which super hero?" Danny turns around and throws his arm over Steve's middle and gets their legs tangled.

"Have no idea at all," Steve whispers, content with his face buried into Danny's hair.

"I thought you said right," Danny slurs and squirms a little until he makes himself more comfortable.

"Uh huh," Steve murmurs, pulling Danny closer and drifting off himself.

*

"So what do we need to talk about?" Danny asks as he slumps down on the couch.

"We've talked with the other two couples and since you two have already got embroiled in this, we decided to fill you guys in on the parts which you need to know," Tony tells them solemnly.

"Okay," Danny allows uncertainly. "Nothing good ever comes after that phrase. At least not with me."

Tony gives him a cautious smile. "LJ and I thought you didn't need to meet Jack and Daniel in Colorado in a hurry, but it turned out we miscalculated the situation. And in case you might be deluged with Blair and Daniel's questions, I'd better give you a rundown, the bare bones first. Actually this is really Daniel's forte. I'm not very good at it."

"Why do they want to inundate me with questions?" Danny looks appalled.

"Maybe you happened to become the first one who's able to mentally turn a follower around?"

Danny gives him a blank look. "Follower? What happened to Catherine?"

"Okay, let me explain it. But I need to take you to the spirit plane. It's safer to talk something like this there. Lucky for us, I share some of Blair's abilities. So we don't need to set up a secret meeting with them. They'll get there after we brief you two."

Since Danny has been practicing meditating with Tony for weeks and it's kinda part of Steve's daily routine to meditate, it's easier than he thought for Tony to bring both of them and Gibbs to the spirit realm, but Tony is quite amused to find Steve looking around curiously while Danny just being Danny, looking like he's annoyed by Steve whenever he tugs at Danny and points out something to him, but in fact he always looks at Steve with great fondness.

Although it's the first time they go there and it's blue everywhere, Danny just takes it in stride. Secretly Danny suspects that it's because Steve has desensitized him so well. Danny has gotten used to bizarre things happening when he's with Steve.

After they all sit on the ground, Tony begins, "First of all, there are aliens. And one race of them wants to conquer earth. So we're kinda facing a serious threat right now." He pauses and searches the two younger men's faces.

"So you're basically saying that this goof," Danny says with a jab of the thumb at Steve, "is right. Aliens?"

Tony lifts a brow at Steve. "You know?"

"He knows now," Danny answers with a roll of the eyes when he catches Steve's smug smile. "He told Gracie that he believes that there are aliens. Such a geek."

"Okay, let's get back to business. The second thing you should know is that there's a higher plane. We call it the ascended plane. Ascended beings've shed their physical form and become pure energy. And mortals can evolve to the point of ascension eventually. This alien race with the name of Ori, who want to subjugate us, are an ascended race. But one of them is in human form. That's because the principal rule is that ascended beings will not interfere with anything that happens on the lower planes. So if the Ori ever want to take over a planet or a galaxy, they must do it through the member in human form. Did I make myself clear?"

"So far so good. But where did we come in?" Danny replies rather flatly, compared to the excited look on Steve's face.

"The leader of the Ori, the one in human form, has supernatural powers which means she has superhuman senses, strength and other mental abilities. One of them is telepathy. It allows her to read the minds. Only the strongest of minds can resist it. It also makes her an excellent interrogator to extract information. We don't know if she can implant suggestions in people's minds and make them loyal to her race, but she can be very persuasive and definitely has no problem forcing people to give up their free will. That's why your ability to hypnotize is so important for us. We don't know how long the spell you cast on Catherine - no offense, just find it easy to describe it in this way - will last or it will only be broken by a more powerful mind controller. Or whether you can break a spell cast by others."

"That's a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it," Tony grumbles half-heartedly.

"Why did Catherine call that alien Goddess?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention that. The Ori like to pretend that they are gods and created a religion called Origin, claiming they are the creators of all lives in the universe. They conquer planets by forcing people to convert to Origin, to worship them and to become the believers or followers. And as they say, 'those who reject the path to enlightenment must be destroyed.' In effect they are using their advanced technology, their knowledge and power as a means to slave mortal beings."

"A bunch of certifiable aliens," Danny comments dryly.

"The She Ori made Catherine stronger?" Steve asks, sounding curious.

"Yes and that's what I dislike the advanced races the most," Tony says indignantly. "They do have the technology or power to give ordinary humans mental and/or physical extraordinary abilities by manipulating their genes."

"We all have human genes," Steve remarks thoughtfully, "but we have dragon blood too. Will our dragon genes affect the results?"

Gibbs gives an acknowledging nod which is almost imperceptible before he interrupts Steve's musings by suddenly saying, "If she wasn't given her supernatural physical advantages, you should've been able to hear her a few miles away." He keeps his eyes fixed on Steve who looks like having been slapped across the face.

"I," Steve says, his face white, "I should have noticed her long before she attacked Danny."

Danny frowns at this and takes Steve's hand wordlessly. He can feel Steve's guilt and distress. He wants to comfort his mate, but can't do it in front of other people. He knows Steve well. He seems to goof around all the time, nonchalant and reckless, without caring about what other people think of him. But in fact he does care about a lot what those people whom he loves and respects think of him, and he's always been eager to do anything to seek their approval. Like his father, his former CO and now maybe the older Alpha in front of them. His mate has some really serious daddy issues. Sometimes Danny wishes he could go back and have some strong words with Steve's father who somehow managed to make his wonderful son so insecure and believe that everyone would abandon him in the end if he doesn't try hard to please them.

Danny has always felt annoyed that his big mate is too proud and stubborn to let Danny do anything when he's certain he's the one to blame, despite the fact that Danny keeps assuring him that he did nothing wrong and Danny wants nothing other than Steve's happiness.

For now Danny only hopes that the older Alpha will find out sooner that Steve doesn't need a reprimand to become better. For he always doubts himself, wondering if he hasn't done enough, if he hasn't tried his best. And more importantly, his Steve has always been good - great enough. He's always done his best and learnt his lessons to become better and would never make the same mistake again.

"She's enhanced. You've never met any beings like this before." Gibbs holds Steve's eyes. "But she's still a dragon. You are a trained SEAL."

"LJ!" Tony turns his head with a frown.

Gibbs lifts his brow at his mate. "What? You want me to expect less of him?"

"No," Tony sighs. "I only want you to be less blunt." _They are newly bonded!_ Tony shouts at his mate telepathically.

_They've bonded for almost a month. We were running around the world a few days into our bonding! And he's an elite soldier. He should act like one. He might be the commander on the front line! They might be aboard one of Jack and Daniel's space ships one of these days._

_Jethro! He was protecting Gracie!_ Tony says in exasperation. _He made the right decision. You love that girl too! You would've done the same thing. And we don't know for sure what their roles will be in the oncoming war._

Gibbs grunts at his mate's words but nods slowly.

 


	21. Chapter 21

Steve tugs Danny close and murmurs against his hair, "Sorry, Danny." Rationally, he knows that there was nothing more he could do at that time to sense Catherine sneaking up on Danny, but the fear of failing to protect his mate and his family, and letting other people down is too overwhelming. (He conveniently neglects to explore the latter thought.) He was trained to be living and fighting in a constantly dangerous situation, but Danny wasn't. He feels like dragging Danny down with him into a perilous world that's a norm for him. Still feeling distressed, he hears Danny's amused yet slightly annoyed voice, "Tell me you don't really think that was your fault. Somehow I find it rather amusing that you are this obtuse and assume that anything that goes wrong has something to do with you, when I actually should get pissed off at you."

Danny interwinds their fingers and gives Steve a resigned smile. "Sometimes I wish that you only cared about what I think of you and didn't give a shit about other people's opinions," he whispers. "But I guess you have some serious daddy issues and I have made peace with it long ago. And you're my big goof. You're mine to love and care for."

"I don't have daddy issues!" 

"Well, keep telling yourself that," Danny says wryly, "I'm sure it will work some day."

*

"Thought it'd be a while before we meet again," Blair says as he pulls Danny into a big hug.

"Hi, Blair," Danny greets him and hugs back. The sarcastic "such a pleasure to meet the powerful triad" dies on his lips.

Blair lets him go and gives Steve a bear hug as well, causing Steve to stiffen visibly in his arms. Blair rolls his eyes. "I thought I trained you well and you learnt how to hug back properly."

Steve shoots Danny a betrayed look after finding no help at all from his mate, then he bends down and hugs Blair stiffly.

After exchanging greetings, Daniel jokes about Danny and his given names despite Blair's muttered gripe "you have to go there." Danny simply shrugs and tells them that nobody other than his ex wife calls him that and when she calls him Daniel with her crisp British accent, it always means Danny is deep in trouble. 

They share a hearty laugh while the other three Alphas stand a little further down, talking, with the same serious expressions on their faces. After a quick glance, Daniel sighs, "Jack has been agitated these days. Apparently we have been apart a little longer than he can handle this time."

Having no idea what that means, Danny can only give him a polite smile. And frankly, most of his attention has been on his mate since the older Alpha - Steve's surrogate mentor in a way - dressed Steve down. Even before they had their bond, Danny could notice at once when Steve was broody or quieter than usual. Now through their bond, he can easily feel the dismay pouring off his Alpha. Although Steve's always like staying close to him, right now he seems to cling to him, apparently afraid that something would happen in any moment.

The two scientists seem to be intrigued immensely by the new development of Danny's abilities, just as Tony thought they would be. They keep asking Danny how he was feeling when he hypnotized people and how he pulled that off, to which in fact Danny doesn't know the answer himself.

To Blair, not getting satisfactory answers is like having an itch that needs scratching but is just out of his reach. He turns to Steve, "what did you feel then?"

Steve looks pained when he reflects on it. "It felt like he got detached from me. I could barely feel him through our bond. That was scary. If he didn't keep his hand on my arm, if we didn't have physical contact, I probably would reach the end of my tether really fast."

"That's a little like how Jim felt when I did my first spirit walking," Blair muses. 

Before Steve can give any response, they hear Gibbs call out, "Steve! Come here!"

Steve jumps into action before he catches himself. He leaves Danny reluctantly after Danny gives him a playful swat, making shooing motions with both of his hands and claiming that even newlyweds need some alone time. 

"That's fantastic," Tony says with a mischievous grin. "Now we have a SEAL, a Marine, a Ranger and an Air Force. Maybe we can drop the serious topic now and have fun comparing note about them? For example, how they are in the --"

"Tony!" A half-hearted growl cuts him off.

"So that's a no," Tony sighs dramatically with a shrug. "Thought that's a good idea since everyone here is a little keyed up. We can use some amusement."

*

"So you need to go back to DC with us," Tony says after the Alphas finish their "little talk". "We believe Reid will be helpful. He's a genius. He'll find a way to perfect your gifts and his. Come to think of it, his empathy is very unique. He doesn't just know how others feel. He feels how people feel. When you hypnotize a person, he can feel the minute change of that person's emotions. It might help hone your skills."

"I can't hear anyone else when I do that thing," Danny says dryly. "The only one I can feel and sense beyond myself and the target is Steve. I believe it's because he's my bonded mate so I can still feel him in that situation."

"Interesting," Tony mutters. "That's why you didn't notice we got there. Right? When you concentrate on your target, you can't sense anything else."

Danny gives them a nod distractedly. "Would it be better that we have some other Wyverns with more powerful gifts do this?" Danny asks as he pulls his mate close, aware that Steve has become calmer and more animated than half an hour ago. Hmm, Danny wonders to himself, what the other Alphas told his mate to buoy him up.

"Here's the thing," Blair says, drawing Danny's attention back to their discussion. "There's no other teal Wyvern right now. I'm afraid you are on your own as far as your training is concerned. And I have a suspicious feeling that, like lavender Wyverns, it might be impossible for teal Wyverns to live with nine bands even they are bonded. Of course Reid's gifts are more overwhelming, since you don't need two Alphas to ground you."

"Speaking of Reid, I definitely need his help," Danny admits, lips quirking up into a smile when he thinks about that young genius. "No one would know more on dragon matters than he does. All those statistics and theories."

"And Gracie," Tony adds, beaming happily, "she can go with us or stay with her mother. Whatever she likes. Actually Gibbs and I would like to invite her to DC. She's a very lovely kid. If I remember this correctly, Hotch's son is about her age." 

"Who's Gracie?" Blair asks curiously.

"Danny's daughter," Tony answers brightly. "A very adorable little girl. She told me I look like a charming lord!"

Blair bites back a laugh. "Danny, seriously? Your daughter said that?"

"Yeah," Danny admits dryly. "I don't know why, but she took a liking to Tony immediately. She thinks he's cool and handsome."

"Gracie has an excellent taste in beautiful things and handsome people," Tony points out proudly with a cheeky smile. 

Danny groans. "I have no response to that."

"Why?" Tony protests. "She's the only kid who feels comfortable with me and actually talks with me. Just let me preen for a while."

Danny gives him a funny look. "Feel free. But I have to talk with her and her mother first. Even the divorce was ugly and I hate my ex most of the time, but I have to say she's a great mother. I'll ask her, though I'm sure Grace would like to spend the summer with us. She'll be thrilled to make friends with other kids of her own age."

Blair sighs wistfully. "There're so few of kids in our community." 

Then a strained silence prevails. The pain of losing their kids is still there for those two Alphas. It's like a nick out of the heart. A cut that never heals.

Sensing the wight of grief in the air, Blair suggests expectantly, "Let's talk about the reproduction thingy after we eliminate the threat and drive the aliens away, okay?"

"What's that?" Danny asks carefully, feeling that this is a huge thing Blair is talking about and it might change their lives completely in the future.

"You don't know?" Blair sounds surprised. "The Alpha Drake and Wyvern couple can have kids with both the parents' genes."

"Really?" Steve perks up visibly.

"Yeah," Tony laughs. "That's true. We haven't had time to go into details, but there is a way or two to have a biological kid of an Alpha/Wyvern couple."

"Two ways?" Blair and Daniel exclaim in unison.

"How do you think they had children before they took human form?" Tony flashes a blindingly triumphant smile. 

"Great!" Steve blurts out, excited about this news. "That's the best thing I've heard so far. Let's kick those insidious aliens' ass and get to the more important things."


	22. Chapter 22

The last thing that Danny has expected to happen in DC is that they end up taking turns to look after the two kids - Grace and Jack - Hotchner's son. The two kids hit it off immediately. Apparently neither of them had friends who were born into a dragon family. Even it's been only a few weeks since Danny's emergence, he's quite sure that Grace has always been curious about dragons. And now she needs to get accustomed to his new status as a bonded Wyvern and the fact that she's a child who is loved and cared for by a small group of elite dragons. He used to chalk it up to kid's youthful resilience when Grace adjusts quickly to every major change in her life without fretting. But this time it's a little bit different. The changes will be forever. Steve'll be in his life, consequently in Grace's life, forever. The big Alpha she adores is her family now. Danny knows that Rachel won't be happy about this, for it took nearly forever for Grace to accept Stan, yet Steve has been Grace's favorite person from the beginning. 

Well another thing Danny has never expected is that Reid's actually very good with kids - at least with these two kids. He looks a little awkward in the eyes of ordinary people, babbling all those statistics or scientific theories which people can't get their heads around at all, but he can come up with so many brilliant ideas to keep the kids occupied. And who would have thought that Rossi turns out to be the funny adult that little kids would like to spend time with? More surprisingly, the quiet and serious Alpha Prime is an attentive parent who gives the kids his full attention when he's with them. Needless to say his mate is an overgrown kid himself, curious about almost everything. When kids get to know him, they usually warm to him. That's why before Danny realizes it, the two kids start spending time alternately with him and Steve or Jack's family. Since they stay with Tony and Gibbs in their house, it means the older couple gets not one, but two kids under their roof for the first time after their bonding. It also means the laughter of happiness, the screams of joy and the squeaks of delight that fill the house for the first time after so many years.

Sometimes Danny really feels like he has three kids to keep an eye on and the third one is his big silly mate who enjoys every minute outside of his training frolicking with the kids when they are with them. Every time he has the three standing in front of him, messy but happy, glowing with delight, he can't help but wonder what Reid and his mates would do to deal with these naughty yet cheerful kids. He guesses that little Jack has never met an adult like Steve before, who doesn't mind getting himself covered with dirt or mud while playing with them.

One day the trio takes the kids to the zoo when Danny and Steve have to do some tests on Steve's enhanced senses. When they come to pick the kids up, Danny almost laughs at his mate's forlorn look. Then he remembers that Steve always longs for a family. It suddenly strikes him that even when Steve's parents were still alive, they didn't have time for their kids. They didn't make the effort to be there with them. And now Steve has his own small family with Danny and Grace, the tough Alpha seems to wish he could spend every second with his mate and their kid.

Later that day, the BAU team catches a case and they have to cut the trip short. When they drop the kids off, Danny is astonished to find each of the kids hug a huge stuffed animal as big as themselves. Watching Steve scoop them up in his arms to perch on his hips, those huge fluffy animals still held by the kids who let out surprised giggles and try to hug Steve without dropping their toys, Danny wonders how shocked people back at home would be to see Steve like this, completely at ease with small children. At that moment Danny suddenly realizes that he wants to have babies with Steve. "A couple of mini McGarretts? How about that?" Danny muses. It should sound scary, and Rachel's vitriol "you might be the mother one day" is still ringing in his ears, but he doesn't care a bit. The prospect of such domestic bliss with his tough Alpha is much more appealing. 

Now if they can bring down those damn annoying aliens fast.

When they don't have the kids, Danny spends his time working on perfecting his skills. He's reluctant to experiment it on people, even they're suspects. He still feels it's a kind of violation of their free will. Besides, what's the point in hypnotizing a human when their enemies are aliens? It's completely surreal for him. Though Tony has assured him that the Ori are actually one of the ascended human races and their crusade army consists of average human followers of the Ori that were raised in their home galaxy. He gets confused until Tony explains to him that most of the existing human races, including the one on earth, are created by two ascended races before their ascension. The two were living together as a single, united society long ago. Therefor those human races with which the two ascended races seeded these galaxies have few physiological differences.

If Danny feels out of his element, Steve is only excited and eager to learn about the long history of extraterrestrials. And he's genuinely happy that Gibbs takes over the training of his senses before Blair and Jim can reschedule their plans and fly in. Danny, on the other hand, refrains himself from saying anything about it. Like his mate would ever admit that he has some certain issues. Danny is fine with that as long as Steve is happy and upbeat. From what he learnt from the talks with Tony, Danny is sure that Gibbs is not a typical good leader who is sensitive to the emotions of his team members and that in fact Tony has been the one who is the heart of their team and makes it work seamlessly. Not a surprise that Gibbs scared multiple probies away before he found Tony and made him his 2IC.

For some reason, Danny needs to keep physical contact with Steve when he does that hypnotising thing. They wind up the official "inseparable couple", much to Danny's annoyance, of course. He really doesn't want to think too hard about how he ends up being inseparable from that goof, but Steve seems quite pleased with the moniker. And now every dragon in DC area has heard about them. That's really embarrassing. And he definitely blames Steve for this!

When Blair and Jim come to DC, they stay in Rossi's house with the trio. Not that Blair doesn't want to spend time with Danny, he just has a suspicious feeling that Tony and Jethro would like to have that couple close. Besides, compared to Reid, Danny's more assertive and seems fast with a smile. It must have been a burden to be a prodigy and then the ranking Wyvern for the east coast. Although the age differences between Reid and his mates mean that they might indulge and dote on him as much as Reid respects them, it also means that there aren't too many spontaneous expressions of strong feelings between them. Unlike Steve and Danny who have no problem engaging in PDA at all.

From what Blair observed, he's sure Danny and Steve have found their unique ways to cope with difficult situations together long before they became mates. Through those bickering, bantering, they are actually communicating and comforting each other. They're practically declaring their love for the other every now and then. It's kinda weird indeed, but somehow it works out perfectly for them.

With Blair and Jim in town, Danny and Steve become busier than they thought they could be. Sometimes when Danny's tired but comfortable in bed, held tight by his amorous mate, he wonders whether this is what feels like preparing for an unknown and imminent danger which lurks in the dark, waiting to take them off guard.

Still, Danny is grateful that they can spend a relatively uneventful summer with Grace before something horror happens or everything goes to hell.


	23. Chapter 23

OK, Danny admits that he didn't see a lot of crazy preachers before, but he does know first hand what an overly devout preacher was capable of. He's been in law enforcement long enough to know that a crime committed by a self-righteous preacher can be a very nasty one. He and Steve once spent days tracking down a pastor who turned into a series killer and believed he did a great job of serving God by clearing the streets of those hookers.

And this one, what they call Prior, is far worse than any delusional pastor on earth. And how did Danny end up on a planet saving the exploited people there like the protagonist in a cheesy science fiction with his stupid, reckless Alpha nowhere to be seen? He really does not want to delve into it. He needs to find his Alpha before those zealous followers do something ridiculous to him. When he gets his mate back, it's time to settle accounts with this thick headed Prior who genuinely sees nothing wrong with forcing people to accept Origin by destroying those who deny this faith.

Careless! Stupid, Danny thinks angrily. Hell, they're known as the inseparable couple! So how on earth - ironically, he's not on earth right now - did this happen when they should stay together?

It went down like this -  
For some inexplicable reasons, Danny let Steve wheedle him into signing the non-disclosure forms and getting read in on that sensitive program. That was the first mistake he made which lead to this predicament. Screw Steve and his pathetic puppy eyes! He should have known that those brown puppy eyes got him every time. Damn it!

After that they received intense training from the couple in Colorado Springs, including getting familiar with those alien weapons. Then the next thing Danny knew was that they were briefed on their mission and whisked through the gate with a small team as their backup, though the team would be stationed by the gate unless they needed to be rescued. 

So how joyful! Danny set foot on another planet on a mission with his trigger-happy mate. Why? Because they needed to bring back that Ori commander who used to be a fierce fighter of the Anti-Ori underground. They needed to convince him. Yes, by convince, they actually meant that Danny was going to hypnotize him, then bring him back and extract information from him.

This commander was on this planet accompanying a Prior who was sent to convert the humans there. The Prior had already wiped out an entire village by infecting them with a fatal disease, for some of the villagers were reluctant to follow the path of Origin at first, despite the fact that they agreed to accept it later. 

As Danny and Steve had been informed before, the humans there lived in an agrarian age of development. They lived within small villages which were not very far away from each other, since the inhabitable space on this planet was rather limited.

After the Prior destroyed a defiant village to demonstrate the power of the Ori to the others, he sent the Ori commander and his soldiers to another village where he believed there was resistance. Danny and Steve were able to sneak into the village before the soldiers arrived. Feeling they were outnumbered, the couple decided to move the villagers to a safe place first, even their only mission was to take the commander back to earth. With the help of some natives, they located an entrance of a hidden cave in a nearby mountain. 

With the soldiers approaching faster than they had anticipated, Steve decided to distract their enemy to buy some time for Danny to lead the villagers to the cave. Of course, there was no discussion. And given the serious situation, Danny agreed, though begrudgingly, to leave Steve and some people who seemed willing to help Steve.

But things never went well when Steve tried to be Rambo, the reckless hero who entered dangerous situation alone. It turned out those seemingly eager helpers were fanatic believers who separated the couple, which was almost a proof that they were afraid of the couple sticking together instinctively. They leaked the destination of Danny and the other villagers to Ori soldiers and consequently got Danny ambushed by a small team. What they didn't anticipate was that Danny alone managed to take out the whole team. It wasn't imagined to be a miracle when Danny picked them off one by one in less than half an hour. That was simply what came of taking an angry Wyvern lightly.

And now he needs to find his stupid Alpha. He picks up an Ori staff weapon and rushes back to the village. Yeah, he can feel Steve. He bets that his Alpha is rambling around the village and waiting for him now.

*

"This is really stupid," Steve mutters to himself. He can almost hear Danny's voice saying "I told you this is a bad idea" or "shitty things happen when you don't listen to me!"

Great! Just great. Now he's trapped in this deserted village and besieged by a combat team, without any idea where his mate is. He's really considering to shift into dragon form. It's only too obvious. Everyone will be able to see him from miles away.

And it's not that he trusted wrong people this time. He didn't trust those people who were eager to help him. He just tolerated their presence. And how on earth did they communicate with Ori soldiers? He really hates aliens and alien technology!

After knocking out these people - oh, Danny will be proud of him for he refrains from killing those traitors to their own species - he scouts around in the hope of finding a way to get out of there to meet Danny. 

Their bond has been very helpful during this mission. He can feel how Danny feels. He knows Danny was angry, then excited - he must be finishing the enemy off. He smiles to himself while taking his bearings.

*

It's not that difficult to catch Ori soldiers off guard when Danny and Steve can literally feel each other. Even without that kind of telepathy which those triad couples have, they can still predict what the other will do. Thanks to the years of working together seamlessly in dangerous situations, they fall instinctively into symbiotic mode, knowing what the other will think and what kind of steps they'll take next.

This is exactly what their enemy don't understand. Their trust in each other. Their love for each other. 

It doesn't take long for them to finish off most of the combat team. And the energy weapon is really powerful. They need to be very careful in their human form. Surely it will cause major injures to a human body. But hell is it fun! Steve notices his mate using an Ori staff weapon not long after they began attacking the soldiers. He catches sight of Danny wielding the staff, shooting bolts of energy, looking damn beautiful! If they were not in a fight, Steve is definitely drooling over his mate now.

*

Then the crazy preacher shows up. 

Danny really really hates beings like him. Fuck those enhanced servants of the Ori with those ridiculously unnatural abilities! They can manipulate fire, for god's sake! He definitely needs to ask Blair if he knows any black red Alpha! Who is the fire master. 

And the Prior's staff is no doubt more powerful which amplifies his abilities and enables him to pin Danny to the ground from afar. He really hates this! Hates those unnatural abilities given by their masters via genetic manipulation.

He is not going to die on this damned barren planet! He has a daughter on earth and he wants to have another hundred years of lazy mornings with his Alpha. 

At the sight of his mate being knocked down and pinned to the ground, Steve goes postal. He strikes down another few soldiers before he changes into his dragon form and charges at the Prior. Nobody is going to harm his mate. 

The Prior looks appalled to find a huge dragon suddenly appear and pounce on him. He gets so shocked that he loses his concentration on pinning Danny down. He fumbles with his staff and turns it to Steve. Before he can fire or do anything, he feels paralyzed under the gaze of a pair of icy blue eyes. He hears the furious voice saying "Freeze! You worthless crap!"

He does freeze with horror for a few seconds. How can he be influenced by a puny human? He starts panicking and misses the dragon. 

The next moment he gets struck. By what exactly? He has no idea. Struggling to keep from falling hard, the Prior drops his staff. He rolls on his side, frantically trying to reach his weapon. But the diminutive blond human is faster. He grasps his staff. Without it, the Prior has no more than small-scale telekinesis. He springs at the blond, making a grab for his weapon. 

Danny whacks the Prior on his head with his own staff. The Prior goes down hard, his eyes glinting with anger. Without any conscious thought, Danny shifts with the staff held in his foreclaw and sets the Prior on fire.

"How is this even possible" is the last thought that crosses the Prior's mind. 

Danny pins the remaining soldiers with a glare which doesn't seem necessary, for everyone has been frozen on the spot, eyes wide in shock. Then he turns his head around, peering at his mate who has landed beside him, then back at the commander. 

Steve, who knows him so well, lashes at the commander with his strong tail and clutches the unconscious man in his foreclaw. Then he gives Danny a dragon version of goofy grin as if he's waiting for Danny to give him a compliment.

Danny can't help but roll his eyes. He struts toward his mate and nudges Steve with his snout. 

Steve nudges back, then takes to the air as his mate unfurls his wings and takes off as well. 

Screw the clandestinity. They're so flying back to the gate.


	24. Chapter 24

"Huh, why is he unconscious?" Daniel asks cautiously, staring at the unmoving man lying on the ground.

"Well," Danny says with a casual shrug, "I asked Steve to knock him out. It's easier this way to bring him back. We didn't have time and chance to hypnotize him there."

Daniel's eyes snap up to the two men in disbelief as Jack clears his throat and asks nonchalantly, "No brain damage? You guys know that we need him for information right?"

"Relax! No brain damage! Steve has excellent control. I hate to say it, because I'm still a little mad at this goof, but Steve was awesome when his tail lashed out as a whip."

Steve's face lights up, his voice dripping with affection. "I love you too Danny!" A blinding grin tugs at his lips.

"And a Prior staff," Daniel mutters. "I take it you two had a lot of fun."

"You've no idea what Danny looked like when he wielded it and struck that missionary with his own weapon!" Steve enthuses, looking excited and proud, finishing with a flourish of hand to mimic brandishing a staff. "I guess that preacher'd got a fracture of his head from that blow alone."

Jack rubs his face. "You finished him?"

"Danny lit him on fire," Steve answers proudly, draping his arm around his mate's broad shoulders. "The remaining soldiers looked horrified yet a little awed, I think."

"Yeah," Jack says sarcastically. "That's how people will react when they witness some other beings kill their God's servant who is supposed to be invincible. You guys must've ignited the fear within those survivors! I bet you caused a major crisis of faith for them by killing their Prior in such a dramatic way."

"I had no other choice," Danny replies defensively. "He was pointing that who-knows-what-it-can-do staff at Steve."

"I'm not blaming you for taking him out," Jack assures them. "That's the last thing worrying me."

"So what gets you worried?" Danny asks, his brows knitted, an expression of concern.

"Nothing particular for now," Jack sighs. "Let's see about it after the interrogation."

"Huh, can we go back to our room and have some alone time before the interrogation?" Steve asks cautiously, looking everywhere but at Jack, his face a suspicious shade of pink.

Jack lifts his brow. "Seriously? Still horny as the newly mated?"

"Jack!" Daniel cries out in his accusing voice and gives him a swat on the arm before he turns to the couple, "we can do that tomorrow, you know."

"It's not my fault I got turned on when Danny flourished that staff," Steve grumbles himself, though a smile is lingering on his lips.

"Okay, you're oversharing," Danny says in exasperation, face blushing, hands waving in a pathetic attempt to shush his unabashed mate.

*

Blair rushes into the room. "I heard Danny had come back. Where are they?" He looks around the conference room with a confused expression.

"He's been towed back to their quarters by Steve," Jack says deadpan. "Guess they're making out in their room right now."

Daniel spits the coffee he's drinking all over the table.

*

Straddling his mate's thighs, Steve drinks in Danny's naked body, his eyes filled with love and lust. "Danny, you are gorgeous!" Steve says in a hushed reverent voice before he leans down and takes Danny's mouth in a bruising kiss.

"You were stupid," Danny manages.

"Sorry," Steve whispers, his hands everywhere.

Danny sighs. He doubts that his mate has any idea about what he was apologizing for. His stupid mate just placated him without thinking about it. He cups Steve's face and makes his Alpha look at him. What he gets is Steve's goofy grin, the one that he only wears for Danny. OK, his big Alpha knows that he has a soft spot for his smile. He knows that Danny can't bring himself to yell at him when he's stupidly grinning at him.

"Just don't split up again. We fight together." Danny's voice turns soft as he curls his arms around Steve's chest.

Later when they're lying in bed, a sticky mess of themselves, Steve nuzzles and whispers in Danny's ear, "What do you think?"

"About what?" Danny asks sleepily.

"What Tony said before. That we can have babies."

"Oh, that." Danny squirms in Steve's arms which gets his Alpha's eyes open. He struggles to keep a straight face, when secretly he's laughing himself silly. He says in all pretended seriousness, "I'd say that a couple of mini McGarretts would be such a handful. And with your track record, it's more than likely."

Steve squints at him incredulously in a way which seems to say, "I'm a disciplined trustworthy SEAL, how can anybody think I'm a handful". Then he notices that Danny's eyes are glittering with mirth. "You want more than one? I like this idea."

"That's your take-away from that? Really, Steven?"

*

The commander gives a gasp at the sight of Danny and Steve entering the room. "You are the one who killed the Prior!"

"Well, you're welcome," Danny drawls as he sits down across the table from the commander.

"You killed the Prior." The commander sounds drained, though he's fidgeting on his chair.

"That's quite right," Danny confirms with a nod. "See, Buddy. I was reading up on the Book of Origin. Not all of them of course." Danny meets that man's eyes and continues, "Some of it is rather enlightening."

He holds Danny's probing gaze, and Danny can see all sorts of emotions churning inside him.

"You know buddy, I bet when it was written, the stories in it were meant to teach goodness and kindness to people. It was meant to advocate forgiveness. People, who believe in the teachings, are expected to have the strength to be kind and forgiving, and not allow those corrupted ones to twist the stories in order to suit their shitty needs and do horrible things and let that kind of deception lead people astray."

The commander's eyes widen at this.

 _Gotcha!_ Danny thinks to himself. "So tell me your name. Your real name."

The man swallows hard, looking confused for a moment, as if he's trying to remember something. "Ray," he finally says. "My name's Ray."

"Good," Danny encourages him with a smile. "I'm Danny. He's my partner, Steve." Danny pats his mate on his arm.

Ray looks like he's dazed, like he's blown away by simply seeing Steve sitting there. Danny guesses that his thoughts might be straying back to that midnight dragon who put him out so easily.

"So Ray, I'm curious." Danny's voice draws Ray's attention back. "How did you become an Ori commander?"

Ray seems lost. He blinks at Danny for a while before he answers, "I got captured. I was brought to Adria. She wanted to know about an ancient scroll."

Danny lifts an inquisitive brow at him.

"A scroll we discovered underneath the ruins of an ancient temple. She wanted to know what's on it."

"Did you tell her?" Danny asks gently.

Ray's face becomes pinched. "She read my mind and probed my thoughts."

"I assume she knows the contents now?" Danny says sympathetically.

"No," Ray cries. "I don't know what's on it. I only heard of it. Word is that it is about a weapon that can annihilate ascended beings."

"You're doing well, buddy," Danny's voice takes on a soft note. "You used to be a fighter. A brave and honest man. You're still that man."

Ray blinks numbly at Danny who stares straight into his eyes.

Danny tells him firmly, "You and your fellow members doubt the Ori's intention. You guys work hard and secretly to unearth and save lots of ancient artifacts which are the proof that the Ori used to be mortals like us. You guys did an excellent job. They're still fighting. Guys like you never give up."

Ray's expression changes from resignation to shock. There's a glint of hope in his eyes.

"Do you remember your old life now? You were a member of the Anti-Ori underground."

"Yeah, I guess," Ray says haltingly, "we used to search for artifacts which predated the so-called creation of humanity. The evidence that the Ori are not what they claim to be. They are not gods." Ray closes his eyes momentarily, then he opens them, looking contrite and sad. "We lost so many friends and family members. I betrayed them."

"No," Danny says firmly. "You were brain washed. You're still the same person. Don't let the devil take that away from you. You know, some of the teachings are not evil. You don't need to give up on Origin to fight against the Ori. Even they're the evil deceivers, the fundamental message of the religion which they created with ill intentions still gives people strength."

Ray's face becomes grotesque as he struggles to hold tears back.

Danny asks softly, "How can we find more about that weapon? I believe the scroll is off limits."

"Yeah. If Adria hasn't found it, it might have been destroyed. There must have been other written clues to ensure that people can find that weapon."

The interrogation goes well after that. More memories of his old days come back to the forefront of his mind, though Danny's not certain whether the effect of the mind probe will last or not. Even he'll recover from this ordeal, there's no telling when the other rebels will trust him again. Which also means they won't be in contact with any member of this underground resistance group through Ray any time soon.

It seems if ever they want to locate the weapon, they have to find out through other means. Though, Ray mentions, rather unwittingly, that he heard from the elder people that there's something containing the instructions as to how to build that weapon. It sounds like a manual to Danny, which he hopes is a Handbook for Dummies for that sort of thing - like, "How to Build This Ancient Device from Scratch" or something like this.

It's not up his and Steve's street, of course. He guesses that's the kind of job for those scientists. Still, he does hope that they'll find that powerful weapon soon and end the war before it rages on earth.


	25. Chapter 25

"Tell me Steven, why are we here?" Danny asks grumpily as he brushes away the dust that fell on his head from the ceiling of the cave. He crouches behind a huge rock and scowls at his mate. "Because last time I checked, I'm not an archeologist or anthropologist or whatever kind of scientist that is needed here. So why did you volunteer?"

Steve hunkers down beside him, their knees touching. "You'd rather let Jack and Daniel come here alone?" He turns his head to look at Danny with that expression on his face, as if he can't believe Danny, the one who's the most loyal person he's ever know, would choose to stay put and do nothing when their friends are risking their lives on a dangerous planet. "Besides, they need more men to cover as much ground as possible. It makes sense."

"I believe they have a team who are better trained for this alien thing!" Danny ducks his head to avoid getting hit by small broken stones falling down from above. "I'm just saying there's not even one single intelligent soul on this planet who might need my skill to interrogate." 

Steve squints into the dark tunnel. "Danny, just pretend we're in an Indiana Jones movie."

Danny leers at him theatrically before he says, "Ravenwood has nicer and bigger boobs."

Steve's lips twist. "After we finish up our mission here, I'm going to make you have a thorough understanding of my anatomy. You'll definitely find my body more appealing." 

Danny glares at him in disbelief, with his lips parted, though no smartass retort comes out of his mouth. He gives Steve another glower before he dips his head and pretends to consult the map. "There might be a larger cavern down this way." Danny points at one of the sinister passages and looks up at Steve. "Shall we check it out? It's the last one on our list, though the symbol beside it means nobody ever succeeded in finding it in the last hundreds years. Shall we give it a try?"

Steve glances at the list and then his watch. "OK, we still have plenty of time. And we can't go outside right now. It will be boring, if we sit here for hours waiting for the gale to blow over."

They turn their heads as one and peek over the rock forlornly. The sand blows thickly outside. Danny was right when he called this planet hell. After he signed his name on that damn confidentiality agreement, Danny has been in so many ironic situations. Like right now, they, of all people, hole up in a cave which is actually an entrance to the intricate cave system. Get the irony here? Dragons in a cave! More accurately, two dragons who have to be in human form, because there's not enough room for them to change. 

Danny's mind drifts, lingering on the memory of one certain film in which a dragon slumbers within a mountain on the heap of gold, silver and gems. Danny wishes at least there will be some gold coins or some mysterious treasure lying somewhere waiting for him to stumble upon. But in reality? He has no idea where the passages might lead and where Jack, Daniel and their team are. 

Hmmm, come to think of that dragon, it's not a good looking one by any standards. His Alpha is much more handsome in his dragon form. Wait a minute. Since when did he started checking out dragon Steve and felt turned on at sight of his mate in dragon form? Danny's blue eyes survey the man walking in front of him, holding his hand, the one who became concerned that Danny's claustrophobia might kick in when he found the tunnel growing narrow considerably. His mate is taking care of him. Danny has never felt this calm in a confined space before. Of course he's only relatively calm, since his heart is pounding a little faster than those who don't suffer a panic attack in a narrow tunnel.

Danny feels safe with his hand held by Steve and he finds his thoughts drifting again. Merlin was a real person, not some fictional character. That Arthur's Mantle is a real thing too, which, according to some legends, is some very useful device that they need to find. That's why they are here, trying to get hold of something that might lead them to that device. (See, they're not here trying to find the device itself.) And by the way, Thor and Loki look like ET. Danny feels his small fantasy world has crumbled to dust. He has nothing against ET! But they're Asgardians who are supposed to look like any other gods in other mythologies.

*

Steve knows that Danny got slightly downcast when he learnt that Asgardians don't look very regal or princely, but are some rather ET-like beings. He finds quite amused that his Wyvern has a girlish crush on that actor, but is resolved not to mention it to Danny. He likes to have his conjugal rights and has every intention of keeping it that way. Even he can play dirty and take advantage of Danny's super sensitive throat scales to get Danny to make love with him, but somehow he's sure it will backfire and Danny will give him grief or make his life unpleasant. He doesn't want to push his luck. 

The passage is getting narrow exponentially. It's rather a fissure now than a passage. Steve puts his hand on the rock wall to feel it and narrows his eyes. It seems they won't get anywhere spacious very soon. He turns his body slightly and holds out his hand. "Take my hand. It's getting a little narrow, Danny."

*

"Petroglyphs, Danny!" Steve exclaims the moment they emerge from the narrow passage and step on a ledge. "We find the right place!"

Danny peers warily at those giant carvings adorning the rock wall and ceiling far away and says sadly to himself, "Two laymen found the right place. Another evidence that ridiculously bizarre things happen." With Steve, nothing is impossible.

Steve hurries down the stone steps. There's a vast rock platform at the far end of the chamber, right under the petroglyphs. He catches a glimpse of a stone altar while walking with a bounce in his step.

"Come here, Danny!" Steve calls out at Danny from above. He's already on that dais-like rock. 

Danny climbs up a stair of narrow and slippery steps onto the vast platform. He takes in the excited look on Steve's face before he casts his eyes on the item which is lying on the altar in such a casual manner. It seems to be unguarded either. But things like this always look tempting and then get people killed in adventure movies. 

"We're not supposed to simply grab it and leave, are we?" Danny asks cautiously, gazing down at that suspicious-looking object - a wooden box which is another ridiculous thing. Wood? They should have been rotten long ago. Who knows how many millennia have passed after it was laid there? "You know, babe, in those movies when the stupid protagonists don't listen to reason - in this case is what Danny says - and grab those things, knowing that they have no business doing that, everything goes to hell from that moment."

"You watch too many movies, Danno. Tony is such a bad influence on you. And how you manage to put so many words in one sentence is always beyond me."

"Steve, do you think at least we should discuss how to get out of here before we even think about touching that thing?"

Steve tears his eyes off the box reluctantly and looks Danny's way. "What do you mean? We'll go out the way we came in."

Danny sighs deeply. When they step onto the ledge, the only thought on Danny's mind is he should have been careful when he made a wish. They did stumble upon some kind of treasure, if this wooden box is what they've been looking for, but this is not the cave on the list. This cave is much vaster than the one they're supposed to find. According to the number on the indicator, they're about 30 feet below that cave. They must have missed the right turn in the labyrinth of underground passages, or the map is extremely inaccurate.

"In case you didn't notice it, but we are not in the one on our list," Danny says, gesturing at the indicator and map. "We got lost."

"You have the device and map," Steve replies defensively. "How could I know that? But don't worry." He takes a look at his watch. "We have about four hours before we need to reach the rendezvous." He flashes Danny a goofy grin. "And this kind of cave system tends to have multiple entrances. Your bonded mate has enhanced senses. I can feel the tiny tremor running through the rock. We'll find the way out."

Danny's eyes widen in surprise. Before he can blink, Steve pulls him close and smacks a kiss on his lips. Then his Alpha grabs the box and shoves it into the backpack.


	26. Chapter 26

Danny swears that the whole mountain starts trembling. Small loose stones are rolling down from the the wall.

"Steve! I told you so!" Danny is not screaming at all. He's just very very angry at his goofball of mate. "I hate you so much Steven!"

"Go, go, go, go!" Steve rasps out. He grabs Danny's hand and drags his Wyvern with him, sprinting downstairs and rushing to an entrance. He slows down slightly, his head tilted, as if he's feeling something. Then he changes his course and runs towards another opening on the wall, still hand in hand with Danny.

"That's not the way we came in!" Danny yells.

"I know," Steve says loudly, trying to drowning out the sound of rocks crashing down on the ground. "This is a shorter route."

"How do you know that?" Danny shouts out as he races up the slope, keeping apace with Steve, unaware that it should be awkward to hold their hands while sprinting.

"The air currents!" Steve shouts back. His words are getting imperceptible. "- so it goes through."

At least Danny catches the last part of his sentence. Somehow his big mate manages to find their way out by sensing the air flow, or at least he thinks he can.

The passage is narrow, but Danny manages to keep up with Steve. It's not like that he can fall behind when Steve holds his hand tight all the time. Occasionally, Steve slows his pace a little and Danny notices that Steve sometimes runs his fingers along the wall. They've met a few branches along the way - more than a few black opening loomed in the wall. And Steve looks damn sure where to go. When they reach another fork and turn into a much larger passage, they begin to hear the ominous sounds of the collapse behind them. They hurry along the passage for another hundred yards or so, then even Danny can feel the chill fresh wind breathing into the tunnel.

It doesn't even take long for them to catch sight of faint light ahead of them. They're reaching the mouth and the source of light. Then they stop dead at the opening, peering downward. It is about a hundred feet above the ground. The ledge is mere a protruding rock which is not even large enough for two adults to stand on it comfortably.

The rumbling vibrations get more ominous. Larger rocks rolling down from steep hillside. They share a look, then leap into the air. They shift within seconds and spread their wings, soaring to a great height.

And Danny is definitely not happy when they hover around, watching as the gap on the cliff face disappears and tons of rocks block the opening to the collapsed passage. Steve steals a glance at his Wyvern who shoots him a baleful look. Damnit, he's so dead this time, Steve curses in his mind.

Steve watches Danny anxiously, as the shiny Wyvern glides over the barren hills nearby and lands on the ground in a fluid motion before he shifts back. Steve follows suit, standing in front of his mate nervously, a cautious smile on his face. He steps forward, bag in one hand, searching Danny's face carefully.

"Danny," he ventures, edging closer surreptitiously.

Danny holds up a finger to forestall him, "Not a word now." He unfolds the map and examines it, apparently determined to ignore his Alpha.

Though obviously Steve believes he will badger Danny to talk to him again simply by annoying him or giving him sad eyes. Danny has to will himself to stamp down on his irrational urge to take this man in his arms. His big mate is doing that again and it's all he can do not to bite the bait. This is a lengthy match they've kept launching into over the years.

But before they battle it out, they get the sudden feeling that something is off. Danny senses many minds in turmoil while Steve hears the tumult of a battle. They skulk toward the rendezvous, feeling lucky that they accidentally chose an unwonted route. (Danny was too busy trying to ignore Steve's wounded puppy eyes to notice they were on a uphill road.) They make for the edge of a steep cliff which is towering above the agreed place a good hundreds of feet.

Joyful! They have to glide down a hundreds-foot-high cliff face to come at their enemy who have no idea that they have been completely exposed to Danny and Steve above. Danny casts a wistful look up at the gloomy sky and resigns himself to it that he's about to fly from a cliff again within a couple of hours and he'll never need any rappelling gear anymore.

They peek over the edge only to find that team has been cornered by a group of Ori soldiers, equipped with lethal weapons. Surprise, surprise. The Ori always manage to get wind of anything that even remotely relates to the legendary weapon. They must have heard about the same tale and been here devoted to one purpose: eliminating threats.

Danny dimly recalls that once someone mentioned Jack's role as the Shield was expected to stay behind and protect the triad directly. And now here they are. Following his mate - the archaeologist and one of the three Wyverns, Jack is here on another planet. Even this is not a dangerous combat zone, still, it must be in conflict with Jack's instincts to keep the triad together and safe. It's really a messed up situation.

And now their teammates are at a disadvantage, since Jack's priority is to protect Daniel and other than that big dark alien, their teammates are not trained to fight. (Or worse, they thought they were trained well to fight in a cruel combat.) They might need a real combat team. Maybe that's the reason why they got another Alpha/Wyvern couple transferred to the team. Of course, it's not his place to criticize the dispositions, Danny tells himself. If anything, he and Steve are only on loan to the team. They just need to get the job done and hope that they'll get back home soon. He misses their ohana sorely.

He and Steve exchange a look before they spring and shift, swooping down on the unknowing soldiers.

Later when they come back to the base, safe and sound, Steve tells Danny in his awed voice with that besotted smile that he thinks Danny hit the soldiers full on in a dazzling wash like the bright sun crashing down on them and blinded those who looked up at the shiny beautiful dragon. If Danny doesn't know his goofy Alpha actually means it, and if he's not that exhausted, he really wants to give his mate a smack on his head.

*

"Did you have to turn a simple mission into an action adventure movie in which the passage kept collapsing behind us when we were running for life?" Danny's voice drips with sarcasm. "At least there wasn't a huge stone ball rolling down trying to crush us to death."

"Danny, it stands to reason that in the end we have to take that box from the altar," Steve replies calmly. "And it'd be no different if we wait and study the table for hours. You said we're laymen. And we couldn't get any help or any backup. They couldn't find us even they knew we got in trouble."

"I still hate you," Danny tries weakly, since he refuses to admit that Steve actually has it right, up to a point. That might've been the only chance they had of getting hold of that item which seems to be vital, if the degree to which Daniel's eyes lit up at this box was anything to go by. But he doesn't have to like it, especially when it means his mate actually enjoyed the adrenaline rush.

*

"Kono! Chin!" Danny sounds extremely surprised at the sight of his teammates and friends in the conference room. He gives Kono a warm hug and claps Chin on his shoulder. "Why are you here?"

"Tony said we might need to have our own teammates watching our back if Jack keeps sending us on missions," Steve explains, his triumphant smile blinding, "and Daniel agreed. It looks like he needs to decipher whatever was in that box. So here they are. We get our ohana here. Oh, I told Tony to keep it a secret so we can give you a surprise. They've signed the forms."

"They what?" Danny turns around and watches Steve in disbelief. "The triad let you bring your own team here? You think Hawaii is not enough for 5O anymore and we have to make other planets fall under the famous 5O led by the notorious McGarrett? Do you have to relocate the entire team to Colorado Springs? Did it ever occur to you that maybe we'd rather not be thousands of miles away from home?"

"Did you just call Hawaii home, Danny?" Steve's face blossoms into a dazzling smile.

"You only heard my last sentence, didn't you?" Danny tries to fob it off.

Kono chuckles. "Brah, Steve is a handful. We're here to help you. We heard about your recent adventures. Felt like you were shooting an adventure movie."

"That was his fault!" Danny says firmly.

"I'm not a handful!" Steve pouts. "I dimly remember that a planet is called Hawaii."

"I'm glad you paid attention to some of the courses we took," Danny says sarcastically. "I thought you slept through them."

"Nay, just wanted to get a rise out of you when you were neglecting me."

Danny glares at him, watching Steve's lips quirk into a big grin.

"Oh, boy!" Kono bursts out laughing. "They're still the same old married couple on their honeymoon."


	27. Chapter 27

At the sight of Danny's unmoving body pinned against the wall, head lolling down, a wave of panic courses through Steve. He knows Danny's alive, but he can't feel him. It's like they were back to the old days when they haven't bonded. He keeps a straight face, though he is worried sick. He can't lose Danny. He can't live without him.

He fixes his glowering eyes on that alien bitch.

She smiles, running her long fingers along Danny's jawline. "I like the two of you being together. It's cute. So I give you a choice." Her eyes flow to Steve's. "You can bring Daniel Jackson to me in exchange for your beloved mate or you can stay with your mate here serving me." She lets the words hang in the air.

Steve grits his teeth. "What do you mean?"

As if he hasn't spoken, she stares at Danny with great interest and continues, "Believe me, I know all your secrets, your weakness. I can trap you in your human form. And even if I allow you to change, you can't beat me. But I'm curious. Intrigued. Your species are very interesting. And gorgeous. A thing of beauty." Her eyes flick back to Steve. "Mate for life. Hmmmm."

"I -" Steve stammers, looking at Danny and desperately needing to see those blue eyes, "I don't understand."

How did it get into this point? In despair, Steve tries to recall what went wrong during the mission.

*

The war, unbeknown to most of people on earth, has been raging on and the time has come for the races throughout the galaxies to take sides. They won some battles and lost some as well. Moreover, they lost their first spaceship in the progress of stopping the Ori from taking over another planet.

Steve was told that his team is tops, even now they're facing alien enemy, not a bunch of crazy terrorists or heavily-armed drug dealers anymore. They've been doing great. Gibbs once said they were "not bad" and Steve was so damn proud that Danny didn't have the heart to rib him about it.

They've been sent on various missions to rescue some allies or their fellow members and retrieve some objects that'd come into the Ori's possession. The latter is trickier, not only because their enemy have an unhealthy propensity for destroying everything useful to the unbelievers after they get their hands on it, but it also means that information is vital and sometimes they - he and Danny - have to get in and out by themselves. He hates the thought of Danny being in danger, but Danny is right that he trusts nobody else more than he trusts Danny to watch his back. Besides there's no point in separating them, since no one can afford the risk of getting either or both of them distracted by fearing for the other.

Daniel Jackson has spent all his time deciphering that mysterious box Steve and Danny brought back from a hidden derelict shrine and he made a map which led them to Arthur's Mantle on earth - a device that contains Merlin's logs on his research on a weapon that can destroy the Ancients and the Ori, which also means that he and his Alpha need to be on earth most of the time.

As a result, Steve and Danny are on missions more frequently. Sometimes a piece of seemingly credible information would get them on another planet in quest for an ancient artifact which is only mentioned in tales. Danny's natural charm helps them get in natives' good graces pretty easily and they're damn great at filtering out the unreal stories and digging up the kernels of truth swaddled in tales. They try their best to fly under the radar, but it becomes more difficult with every artifact they successfully discovered and brought back to earth. Recently their enemy get to realize that someone beat them to those objects.

*

There's a rumor going around that the prototype of the weapon Daniel has been trying to rebuild had been hidden on a planet before the Ancients found out that it could destroy them along with the Ori. What the Ancients don't know is that in fact it had been some of the Yverians who imparted the much needed knowledge to Merlin before he descended himself, in the hope that he would help their children on the corporeal plane one day when the Ori (and/or the Ancients - of course they hadn't mention this to Merlin) becomes a great threat to their descendants.

In fact if the triad chose to ascend when Alrick suggested, they would have both the authority and knowledge, which also means that Daniel wouldn't have a hard time comprehending Merlin's research and constructing the anti-Ori weapon. But they decided to stay in this mortal realm with their mates, so the finding of a functional anti-Ori weapon will be a good news for everyone.

Knowing well they have broken the treaty with the original group of Yverians who came to the corporeal plane and how powerful they were, the Ori have been using the knowledge they obtained after ascension to find a way to limit the powers of their offspring for fear that even those who were born on the lower plane in mortal form would be able to stop them. But so far all they manage to do is to trap Drakes and some of the Wyverns, those who don't have a lot Wyvern blood, in their human form in a confined space.

Adria, the overall commander of the entire Ori army, who was granted genetic knowledge, is ignorant of its frustrating limits and determined to capture the dragons who are responsible for their recent defeat in search of ancient objects. She has been fascinated by that species since the first encounter with them. They can resist the genetic transformation to a certain degree. And frankly, they seem to be marvelously good-looking and wonderfully attractive.

*

Steve and Danny travel to the planet where they might get the prototype in question only to find that they are not first with the information and the Ori soldiers have taken it back to their cruiser, which stations near the derelict remains of some vast structure and towers over the landscape.

Suspicious of the too convenient timing and location, Danny is dead set against boarding the ship without careful planning.

"Just give it a cursory check when their soldiers are sent to harass the natives," Steve suggests.

"We don't know how many of the fighters remain on board. We might even get lost in the corridors," Danny says firmly. "And if it takes off, how will we get off it?"

Steve furrows his brow as he watches the ship intensely, eyes narrowed. "Do you think they already got that thing?"

Danny tilts his head, considering this. "How about that we ask around before we go back home?"

*

A couple of hours later

They whip round in the dark chamber after sensing the danger. They never thought it's the leader of the Ori army who's waiting for them.

The alien woman smiles at them and they find that they can't even move.

Steve watches in horror as Adria raises her hand and sends Danny flying to the wall, hitting his head hard on it. Danny slumps to the ground, unconscious immediately. But this seems not enough for Adria. She lifts Danny up and pins him against the wall with the power of the mind for her own amusement as she catches the hopeless look on Steve's face.

She steps closer to Danny and gazes at him, her fingers trailing down his face. Then she says, "I like the two of you being together. It's cute. So I give you a choice."


	28. Chapter 28

"Even if I choose Danny, it's still impossible to pull that off," Steve says, his hands clenching into fists. "Everyone knows that we're inseparable. If I go back alone, they'll know something's wrong."

"Huh, is that so?" Adria lifts her brow and gives Steve a chill smile. She snaps her fingers and the way Danny's limp arms are twisted behind him makes Steve's blood run cold. He can tell that even Danny's unconscious, he must be in great pain. His face turns pale, beads of sweat showing on his forehead.

"Stop!" Steve cries out in despair. "Stop hurting him."

"You have no idea what kind of pain I can inflict on him." Adria's lips quirk up into a cruel smile. "I have no desire to hurt him. Both of you are so precious to me that I don't even have the heart to cause permanent damage. But if inducing a little pain in your mate can keep you in line, I have no problem with that."

"Stop. Just stop," Steve says, almost pleading. "I'll stay. Don't hurt him."

"That's not the bargain," Adria sounds amused. "Either both of you stay aboard my ship and be my servants or fighters, whatever you like, or you give me Daniel Jackson. I quite like you begging for your mate's sake. I kinda love the idea of keeping the two of you to myself, but Daniel and I go a long way back. So if you bring him to me, I will let you and your mate go."

"I need to ask Danny first. I can't make an unilateral decision for both of us by myself. Let go of him. I'll ask him. I'll talk to him."

"I see, you treat your mate very well." Adria releases the grip on Danny and stops torturing him. Danny falls from the air and collapses on the ground.

Steve looks miserably at the scene unfolding in front of him, his muscles trembling from fighting the invisible strain on his body. He wants so badly to rush to Danny's side, to take his mate in his arms and comfort him. He needs to know that Danny's okay.

Adria continues absently, "I believe my first dragon underling has an unrealistic dream of being your perfect mate. I'd say she's wrong and your genes never lie to you. I almost feel a little bad for her. I didn't have enough time to correct that. But what can I say? You did choose the only one person who was made for your mate. The attraction between the two of you had been programmed into your genes long before you were born. In a way, you're conditioned to love each other. No one can change that. She doesn't understand that the Maker have planned out everything."

Steve stares at her, at a loss to respond. He suddenly understands why Catherine called her Goddess. This alien bitch has a God complex and believes that she's justified in doing anything she wants.

"You know I can heal his injured knee," Adria tells Steve in a casual voice, as if that's nothing for her. "I know it's still bothering him. Pretty bad, hmm? I bet it hurts like hell."

She studies his pained expression when he looks at the limp body on the ground and then she laughs. "Of course you know he's in pain sometimes. You've bonded. But you thought after he became a dragon, the pain should be fixed. Dragons are supposed to be much stronger physically than humans. Right?"

Steve is silent, his eyes searching Danny's wan face, before heavy footsteps snap him back to reality. He looks up and finds a dozen of the Ori soldiers in armor walking into the chamber. The one who seems to be the commander bows reverently to Adria. He holds out a dark wooden box in a deferential manner.

Steve watches in alarm as Adria takes out an ominous-looking black bracelet which looks like some kind of stone. She examines it for a while before she walks towards Danny and clasps it around Danny's wrist scales. She steps back and lets two larger soldiers hoist Danny up and grab his arms, looking ready to haul him all the way to the ship.

"What are you doing?" Steve shouts at them threateningly. "Let go of him! Keep your hands off him!"

Adria lifts her brow and gazes at him, amused. Steve suddenly realizes that she's pleased at the idea of making him beg when he tries to be tough, because she's sure that he knows there's nothing else he can do to save Danny. She's aware that he'll do everything for Danny.

"You won't make trouble, will you?" Adria asks him, gesturing to the soldiers to stay away from Danny. She keeps Danny upright in the air and strokes the bracelet distractedly. "Do I need to knock you out too? He'll wake up in half an hour. Give me your answer before my ship goes into hyperspace. You have about two hours."

Before Steve can reply, his vision goes all black. He doesn't even see her move. He feels every muscle in his body contracting at the same time and his body listing. He passes out before he hits the ground.

*

Steve wakes up in a cold room that is dimly lighted. He has a throbbing headache and his mind is fuzzy.

 _Danny! Danny got hurt!_ Steve tries to push himself up, but only groans in pain.

"Shhh. Slow down, tough guy. I'm fine. Don't worry."

"Danny." Steve feels Danny's hand stroking his hair and turns his head to look directly into those blue eyes.

"I'm fine now," Danny says with a faint smile. "Maybe have a big bump on my head, but I'm fine. You've been out for a while."

"That bitch knocked me out with nothing tangible," Steve states wryly. "You hit your head pretty hard. Are you sure you're okay? I was scared. I couldn't feel you then."

"I'm sure I have a thick head," Danny jokes and helps Steve sit up. "What happened after I was out? Where are we?"

"She must have taken us aboard her vessel," Steve mutters, his brows knitted. He sags against the wall. "She made me choose: whether to bring Daniel to her in exchange for you or stay with you on her ship serving her."

Danny's brow furrows. "What the fuck? Serving her? As in being her servants? What did you say?"

"I said I can't make a decision for both of us by myself. I need to ask you." Steve gives him a tight smile before he closes his eyes and groans again. "God, this really hurts."

Danny rubs his arm softly with an expression of concern. "Babe?"

Steve opens his eyes. "I'm fine. Have a hell of a headache. It will pass. She fastened an odd bracelet around your wrist. Don't know what it is."

"This one?" Danny raises his hand to show Steve that black bangle. "Can't take it off. But it doesn't cause me any discomfort right now." He cups Steve's face with his hands and meets his eyes. "We'll find it out. Don't worry."

"Sorry, Danny." Steve wraps his arms around his mate. "I'm too weak. I can't protect you. I didn't even have time to respond before she threw you out and hurt you."

"Shhh. It's not your fault, babe. She doesn't think herself a Goddess for no reason, right?" Danny runs his hands up and down Steve's back to give him as much comfort as he can. He rests his head on Steve's shoulder, comforting himself with the knowledge that even now no one can separate them.

*

The door opens and Adria walks in. She regards the two men curiously, then she opens her mouth. "Before you try to make waves, let me remind you any trouble you cause, Danny will be the one who suffers and takes the punishment. I don't need to see you to make you feel excruciating pain. Clear?"

Steve nods stiffly, vibrating with anger which Adria ignores easily.

"So, give me your answer. I'm about to take the ship to hyperspace. Of course, I know you won't want to separate from your mate. I can assure you that if you choose your mate, I can find a way to send Daniel a message to let him know the two of you are in my hands now. You don't need to leave your mate to bring him to me. I have it on good authority that he'd be willing to come and offer to change places with you."

Steve and Danny exchange a startled look. Their suspicion has grown stronger. Daniel has been her target all along. They are only the decoys, the bait she wants to use to catch Daniel with.

"We choose to stay," Danny says firmly and lays his hand over Steve's, threading their fingers together.

Adria's eyes widen slightly. "That's a surprise. Never thought that I'd be lucky to have an Alpha/Omega couple. This is going to be fun. In fact, I have plenty of plans for you."

The tone she uses makes them feel a horrible chill. It suggests to them that whatever kind of plans on her mind must bode ill for them.

"I'll show you which area you can walk around without supervision. Don't split up. I expect to see you guys staying together all the time. Don't force me to mentally locate you. When I say someone will suffer, I mean it. You won't want to try it."

*

A few days later

"Danny, stay away from me," Steve says through his gritted teeth, his face flushing, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, as if he's trying desperately to get a grip on himself. Or literally get a grip on himself.

Danny rushes to his side and crouches down. "Babe, what's wrong?"

"Go away, Danny," Steve tries weakly, his chest heaving. He leans against the wall, breathing heavily, his head tilted. Danny can see the veins on his neck throbbing.

"Are you okay?" Danny's voice takes on a panic note. He reaches out his hand, trying to feel his Alpha's forehead only to find it gripped by Steve.

"I can't hold back any longer, Danny," Steve sounds pained, his pupils dilating to an unnatural degree. "I don't wanna hurt you. Leave me alone, please."

"I don't understand. You look in pain, babe. I can't leave you like this." Danny feels the grip on his wrist tightened. It becomes almost unbearable. He knows his Alpha would never hurt him intentionally. This is definitely another ominous sign.

Before he can reflect too much on it, Steve grabs his head roughly and presses him down on the floor with all his weight. His Alpha takes his lips in a bruising kiss and begins pawing at his clothes impatiently. He can feel Steve's hard-on poking him in his belly. "Steve?" His words are swallowed by Steve's fierce kiss. He whimpers, trying to surface for air.

Steve stops attacking his mouth to focus on getting him naked. Danny looks up at his mate, whose eyes are dark with lust. Danny tries to hold on to his rational mind, because this feels so wrong and Steve is somehow unlike himself now.

But the sensation of his Alpha nuzzling his throat scales diligently is too much. Danny shivers and writhes under Steve's hot body.

Suddenly Danny feels a shadow looming over them. He tries to turn his head to get a look at, but Steve sprawls on top of him and doesn't allow him to move.

The shadow moves closer and Danny finds Adria looking at them with great interest.

"What did you do to Steve?" Danny manages to ask while Steve busies himself worrying at his throat scales. Danny gasps, shivering uncontrollably, but he has to understand what happened. "What's going on with him?"

"Nothing wrong. I only minimized his human genes' effect on him, meanwhile I strengthened his dragon blood in a way. He's in rut now. Actually it's really interesting. How did your species survive thousands of years without even one Alpha going into rut? It's against nature. But whatever, you now have a very strong dragon mate. Congrats."

Adria smiles at him. "Oh, it might trigger your heat. The first pure-blooded dragon couple in a very long time. And by the way, it would be very traumatic for an Alpha if he doesn't have a mate to get through his rut. Your Alpha might never recover from it. Sorry for that. After all, you are only artificially pure-blooded."

Without waiting for any response, she leaves the room.

Danny hears the click of the door. _Did she just lock the door? What did she do? She experimented on Steve? Oh, God. Will Steve be OK after all this?_

Danny feels his own heart clenched in pain. _Why has Steve had to go through a lot? Why?_

Then Danny gets overwhelmed himself, his head clouded. He's drunk on Steve's scent alone. _His perfect mate. His Alpha. His Steve._


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Danny and Steve in this chapter  
> Only a few meetings

The day Steve and Danny are MIA

"We got a problem," Jack informs the other pairs gravely before they can even sit down on the chairs. He waves his hand in a gesture at Daniel which seems to say "You go on to explain this to them."

"Steve and Danny didn't show up at the gate at the agreed time," Daniel starts, and everyone looks worried. "And I can't reach Danny. I've tried several times."

The silence in the room deepens as the atmosphere becomes petrified.

Normally Daniel, as the Master of the Gate, can reach any Wyvern alive, no matter where they are. The implication of this is so grim that everyone in the conference room just sits there wordlessly.

Tony finds his voice first. "Do you think he's -" Tony can't complete the sentence. 

"I'm not sure," Daniel replies uncertainly. "I'll try to contact him again later."

"Can you summon Danny to the spirit plane?" Tony turns his eyes to Blair. "Maybe you pull him to the plane? Even if you force him to be there?"

Blair grimaces at the idea. "Don't think I can do that. He's teal and has only seven bands. I can only summon Spirit Masters there."

"Can you see him? Like what Colin did?" Daniel suggests.

Minutes later, Blair goes back from the spirit realm. His expression is serious and haunted. "I can't see him. He's probably passed out or worse."

Everyone looks stricken, eyes wide with the desire not to believe. Tony tries to be optimistic, "It's probably not that bad. We're close. If anything that serious happened to him, I might have felt that he left the corporeal plane. So he's alive somewhere." Then he swivels his chair to face his mate, raising an eyebrow. "What do you think?"

"They got ambushed," Gibbs says gruffly. "They're not weak or new to their job. Probably among the best agents we have. Whoever got them must be very good." He pauses before adding. "We should consider the possibility that Adria got them."

Every set of eyes in the room is fixed on Gibbs right now. 

Tony asks tentatively, "Is that your gut saying?"

"It's my deductive skills saying," Gibbs grunts. "Process of elimination. We know it can't be the Ori soldiers or its commander or Prior who took them. If anything, they'd kick their ass instead. I supervised Steve's training. I know him. He's - not bad."

Tony rolls his eyes. "Seriously?"

"Okay, he's pretty good at his job," Gibbs concedes.

"And Danny's smart," Tony adds. "He'd find ways to get them out of trouble even if they're cornered by a group of the Ori soldiers. They've done that before. Those survivors are still badly shaken. The way the couple killed their Prior has affected them to their core." 

*

"Guys, I got in touch with Danny," Daniel says, his expression glum. "Gibbs was right about Adria. She took them. And according to Danny, she managed to trap them in human form and could paralyze them on the spot with the power of her mind. Apparently she's gotten much stronger since the last time I saw her."

"How are they?" Blair asks Daniel.

"He said it wasn't so bad, though I doubt it. He hit his head and passed out after Adria slammed him on the wall." Daniel winces at the thought of hitting one's head in that way. "Steve got knocked out too, but they don't know how Adria did it."

"What's her agenda?" Tony asks, with a distressed look. "Why does she hold them captive?"

Daniel's eyes flash with anger. "Danny told me that they believe her target was me. He asked me to be careful and said that Adria only wanted to use them as a bait to catch me. Although Danny mentioned that she told them she has plans for them too. They're not sure if she was trying to terrify them or she really meant it. He said her voice was the most sinister one he'd ever heard."

"Your old acquaintance has some evil plans," Jack grouses.

"Jack!"

The history of Daniel and Adria's encounters during the past few years is definitely not something that Tony wants to be privy to.

"So far Adria has no knowledge of our unique way of communication," Tony tries to get back to the subject. "That's a good thing. But we still need to get them out of there as soon as possible. It's not worth letting them stay behind the enemy lines and collect information."

*

Several days later

"We got a much more serious problem," Daniel says. "I got ahold of Danny this morning after I lost contact with him for a week. He told me Adria suppressed Steve's human genes and forced him into rut."

The others gasp at the news. 

"What's worse is that it started Danny's heat," Daniel states grimly. "I'm afraid now I have a thorough grasp of the subject of Adria's interest in them."

"What's that?"

Daniel clenches his jaw tight. "She's obsessed with genetic manipulation. She believes she's goddess and can create a better species. Kinda like Nirrti in an attempt to create a Hok'tar. Adria might want to create super soldiers."

"She wants to turn Steve and Danny into her super servants?" Tony sounds alarmed.

"I'm afraid it's worse," Daniel answers in a troubled voice. "She might be more interested in their offspring. They're just tools for her."

"What?! That's not even possible!" Tony blurts out. "Precious told me we'll have to get a female involved to do that."

Blair thinks for a while. He turns his theory around and around in his head before he suggests carefully, "Maybe that's because both Drakes and Wyverns have taken human form for too long and we merged with humans who don't have mating cycles. No Alpha went into rut for many millennia. We need to ask Precious about this later after we get them back safely, especially when it might involve kids of an Alpha/Wyvern pair. Come to think of it, every dragon in our community was born to the Alpha/Beta couple or Beta/Beta couple or very rarely Beta/human couple. Oh, and human couple who don't have enough blood to emerge. Like you, Tony. But surely in Precious's time, they had a whole different way to have children with the Drakes. There was no such thing as female in their society by then, right?"

Daniel chimes in, "That might be the reason Adria doesn't try to brainwash or convert them and turn them into Priors. She only wants the kids of an Alpha/Wyvern couple. Once Danny conceives and then gives birth to their child, they are no use to her." 

"There won't be a worse scenario than this," Tony mutters, rubbing his face tiredly. "The first kid of an Alpha/Wyvern pair conceived on an Ori warship? And the possibility of the couple getting disposed of after they give her what she wants? I feel I need bourbon right now. Beers aren't strong enough for this. We need to get them back soon. I can't stand the thought of a pair of our own being treated like this." He shakes his head, appalled with the idea.

"I should go and offer myself in exchange for them," Daniel says absently, lost in thought. 

"Tell me you're not serious, Daniel!" Jack growls at his mate. "We will bring them back. You don't need to sacrifice yourself!"

"Adria's original plan was to get me there and make me complete the weapon! That's what's for the best. I build the weapon there with her help, because she has the knowledge of the Ori and the Ancients. And then I'll let you guys capture me with the finished weapon. After that we send one of their vessels carrying the weapon to the Ori home galaxy and annihilate them all. That's our plan! Steve and Danny now suffer a great deal because of me!" Daniel has to clench his teeth to suppress his anger. "They don't have to go through this."

"Bullshit!" Jack says angrily. "And that's what you planned to do! Which I never agree to."

"That's our best chance and you know it!" 

Jack glares at his mate. "If you insist, I'll go with you."

Despite himself, Daniel actually snorts with laughter. "I don't want to bruise your ego, but I'm sure she only wants me."

"Are you seriously trying to say that you believe you can go alone?" Jack sounds annoyed yet a little amused. "You just said Adria wants her super soldiers. Why do you think she'll release them even if you offer to be the captive?"

"She wants the weapon more than anything else," Daniel answers dryly, scowling at his mate.

"So you think you know her well?" Jack snorts. 

"Okay, guys," Tony says, tapping the table. "LJ, your gut." 

"We have two missions. One, rescue them from the Ori ship. Two, send an Ori vessel carrying the finished weapon to their home galaxy. It'd be best to do it in one go. Use the ship they are aboard now to carry the weapon." Gibbs holds up his hand to stop Daniel's protests. "There's no way we'd send you in by yourself. Just drop it. And it's better you complete that weapon soon."

He looks around the room. "That's my gut. So?"

"Wiser than what Daniel planned," Jack acknowledges.

Blair shares a look with his mate. "Okay, let's get started right now. I'm going with Daniel and see if I can help in any way."


	30. Chapter 30

After a whole week, the rut haze finally breaks and Steve finds he can breathe easily again. His mind gets clear after feeling dizzy with need for days.

His skin felt like on fire, himself burning up. He didn't have many moments of clarity, though he was aware that Danny managed more lucid intervals. He felt like a prisoner locked up in his own body, unconscious of what he was doing most of the time. He was driven by his primal need and became a slave to his rut hormones. All he could think about was mating with his bonded.

He flashes on memories of himself putting one hand between Danny's shoulder blades to press him face down, the other hand holding his mate's hands over his head, ramming himself into Danny's tight heat, snapping his hips helplessly against that beautifully curved ass, then leaning down to sink his teeth into Danny's shoulder, shuddering while emptying himself deep into his mate.

"Danny. Oh, God. Did I hurt you?" Steve takes Danny's hands and examines his mate carefully. "Sorry, I'm really sorry. What did I do to you?"

"You didn't hurt me, babe. Everything's fine." Danny gives him a reassuring smile. He puts Steve's hand over his wrist and touches his mate's Alpha mark.

"Okay, now we can talk." Danny smiles. "You need to know what those folks back home told me. And don't panic. Because I already had a panic attack."

Steve looks worried. "That bad?"

Danny shakes his head. "You tell me. I'm still struggling to understand this and I need you to be the tough, callous Alpha, because I can't break down now on an Ori warship."

Steve gives him a skeptic look. "I can do tough, but I can't do callous when it comes to you." 

Danny rolls his eyes, as if he can barely put up with his goofy Alpha, but in fact he is looking at Steve with love. "Okay, I admit that you're basically pouring out your affection for me all the time. Amorous mate! Now be my strong badass partner when I'm seconds away from freaking out again."

Steve nods and squeezes Danny's wrist reassuringly, letting Danny show him what is bothering him.

After getting the whole picture, Steve stares at Danny, looking still overwhelmed. His face is an amalgam of emotions: hope, excitement and concern. He finally finds his voice. "That's good news, right? We might have a baby. Don't you want to have babies with me?"

Danny sighs. He should have known his goof is a lost cause. He shakes his head with resignation, but finds his lips twitching into a smile. "I knew you would be like this. Of course I want to have kids with you. But didn't you pay attention to the parts where they said Adria wants our kid or kids?"

"They're mine!" Steve growls. "Over my dead body! I won't let her take our kids away!"

"I have no interest in being a single dad, Steve!" Danny says in a mock stern voice. "You'd better drop that thought!" 

"Okay." Instantly mollified at the thought of raising their kids together with Danny, Steve nods meekly, a shy grin on his face. "Our babies!" He seems to be in a stupid amazement.

Danny rolls his eyes again. 

"What's next? What's our plan?" Steve asks him, pulling him even closer in his arms. He needs to feel Danny's warmth, to inhale his scent.

"Keep our nose clean and stay safe."

"I remember a movie in which they stole a spaceship and escaped? How about we stealing a scout ship?"

"Like I'd ever let you drive or pilot it! Being in a car that you're driving is frightening enough. And let you pilot a spaceship you're not familiar with? My poor heart will give out before I have a chance to kiss my kids goodbye. That's not going to happen. I want to see them grow up and die of old age."

Steve's goofy grin grows more blinding at the mention of kids. 

"Considering what happened to us, they analyzed the mating cycles of other intellectual races and put our chances of me getting pregnant during our first cycle at about 50%. But I'd say they forgot to add in the fact that you're an overachiever." Danny sounds a little grumpy.

Steve grins at him proudly. 

"They also said our mating cycles will be in sync from now on," Danny grouses. "They were actually saying, very blatantly, we'll be like this from now on! We will go through many mating cycles in our lifetime."

Steve perks up immensely at the implication that he can get Danny pregnant with his kids more than once. But then the pieces of the previous days come back to him, he feels sick to think about the possibility that he might have hurt Danny during his rut when he was totally cloud-minded by his lust. "I don't remember much. Did I hurt you, Danny? I was totally in a haze."

Danny blushes, averting Steve's eyes. "It was intense, of course, though not unwelcome." 

Looking at Danny's face pink with shyness, Steve can't resist the urge to lean in and peck a kiss on Danny's cheek. Bashfulness is a good look for his mate. He puts his big hand on Danny's belly and grins stupidly. "Is this really going to happen?"

"Did you not hear me during the last ten minutes?" Danny slaps the annoying hand away. "50%, for gods sake! We don't know yet if there's a little one growing there against all odds to make us the proud parents of the first dragon kid of an Alpha/Wyvern couple in so long. So stop that stupid grin. I'm still having hard time wrapping my head around it."

"When will we know for sure?" Steve asks softly and that goofy smile simply refuses to leave. "Why are you so scared? You know I will be there with you, right? You're not doing this alone."

"The first one in millennia! Steve! Aren't you worried? No one knows what's going to happen! If anything goes wrong, nobody will know how to fix it."

"Danny, even if something happens, which is highly unlikely, I will be there with you. I will support you and take care of you and the little one. Don't be scared. I've got your back." Steve kisses Danny's cheek affectionately. "Besides you should have more faith in my genes. You said I would survive the apocalypse by myself."

"What? You really thought it was a compliment? It was not Steven! I was simply implying even zombies would be terrified to death by your stunts."

Steve chuckles. "You have me, Danny. We'll figure it out together. Don't worry." He tucks Danny's head against his shoulder and lets him lean into his arms as he drops soft kisses on Danny's hair.

"I'm just not very good at taking the first crack," Danny mutters. 

Steve clasps his mate to him and smiles smugly. "You're lucky. That's what I'm great at."


	31. Chapter 31

Blair pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. He leans into Jim and wraps his arms around his Alpha's middle. "I don't think Daniel can build that weapon anytime soon. I fear for Danny and Steve so much. I actually had nightmares about them being tortured."

Jim puts his hand on the back of Blair's head and strokes his hair. "Chief, they can take care of themselves. I know you are worried. Everyone is. But they won't be in any life-threatening danger before Danny gives birth to the kid. We don't even know if he conceived. The chances of getting pregnant during the first mating cycle are not that good."

Blair looks up at him, lips twitching. "I know you're trying to comfort me, but considering their track record, anything unbelievable can happen to them in any second. I'm kinda getting used to it."

Jim chuckles. "That's true. They're really something."

Blair buries his face in Jim's chest, letting himself feel safe and become calm again, engulfed in his mate's scent, as Jim tightens his hold.

*

"Okay, what's your backup plan? I know you have one, at least. So tell me, Jethro." Tony gives Gibbs his knowing look.

Gibbs sighs. "Knew you'd ask. We plan to set up a trap for Adria. We don't need to capture her to negotiate for an exchange of captives. Only need to slow them up and buy some time for Steve and Danny to get off the ship and get to the gate."

"Is that a little difficult for them?" Tony sounds uncertain. "They'll have to get by the guards and maybe cover dozens of miles to reach the gate. Why is it that we don't have another team go take over the warship? Some team has done that before."

Gibbs looks at him, reflecting that certain team accidentally took over an Ori war ship. "The Ori soldiers'd put up a more fierce fight. We don't have enough resources to take down Adria's flagship."

"It's still too tricky," Tony says with a frown. "Is there something else? Something you choose not to share with me right now?" He cuts his Alpha a sidelong glance and asks him skeptically, "Did you call Rossi? You're not planning on bringing every elite dragon here, are you?"

"No, I'm not," Gibbs says evenly. "That'd be something Jack would like to do. Besides we have other brown dragons here."

"But Rossi's the best."

"He is, though I don't think Reid can handle this situation well. He got to relate to Danny last time when Danny was in DC. How do you think he'll react if he learns that Danny was captured and forced into heat? And the prospect of Wyverns having babies? His mates won't like him to know about that."

The crease between Tony's brows deepens. "What's it with you Alphas and this kind of protectiveness? Before I became your mate, I'd been your 2IC for years. You used to trust my judgment."

"I still do, Tony," Gibbs sighs. "As you just said, we haven't had much information right now." 

*

His dreams have been haunting. In those dreams Danny saw Steve dying in front of him and he could not save him. He heard their babies crying for their parents, but he couldn't get to them. Once Steve was hit on the belly by a bolt of energy and Danny held him as he bled profusely and his lips turned white, his eyes blank. That was one of the times when Danny found himself screaming before Steve gathers him closer, humming soothing sounds to comfort him. 

Danny notes, in the daytime, Adria tends to leave them to their own devices, seemingly uninterested in whatever they would do. However, Danny has caught her eyes on his belly briefly more than once, making the hair on his neck stand on end and his big Alpha almost growl to warn her off. Adria smirks at that, looking like she's enjoying taunting Steve with the fact that they're at her mercy, no different from any other beings who plead for their lives. It reminds Danny what he learned from the course in cult mentality he took last year after Steve managed to dodge out of it and sweet talk him into taking it in his stead. (It's still slightly irritating to realize that he's let Steve do this kind of things over the years, even he knows he's so crazy in love with his goofy mate that he'll do that anyway.) The female cult leaders can be just ruthless as their male counterparts. Some of them are sadistic in a more devious way and see it as a way to control her followers, while a small portion of them, like Adria, genuinely enjoy inflicting pain on people.

Danny reflects that this is exactly someone who's going to lose control eventually. And, all the better for them, Adria seems to be a megalomaniac.

The Wyvern nearly laughs out loud when they find out that Adria is arrogant to the point that she's complicit in what the Ori told her and thus has been convinced the couple's powers are limited when they are trapped in human form. Nobody has noticed that Steve's still able to keep tabs on everyone on board simply by listening to them.

In fact, quite curiously, Danny has never felt trapped. He was caught off guard and rendered unconscious before he could feel anything wrong. So when Steve told him what had happened, they were shocked to find Danny might be able to shift regardless of Adria's efforts to restrain him as well. This is going be a super surprise for Adria too when the time to take the risk comes. Though before they take steps, they need to find out how to remove that bracelet or at least what it is for.

Another thing about Adria is that she seems to think it too easy and boring to probe their thoughts. Of course she likes people eager to please her, but when it comes to those defiant ones, she derives more pleasure from breaking them, from seeing the hopeless looks and conflicting emotions on their faces. She loves the way people have to submit to her without other choice.

The last thing Danny wants is to find out which one of them has stronger mental powers. This time Danny is sure that he's not being pessimistic. It's not likely that he can one-up an alien who kills mortals with telekinesis.

*

When Danny's nightmares become vivid to a fault, only to evoke the deep-buried fear and insecurity of Danny's, Steve comes to realize that those dreams were implanted. The heart wrenching screaming and the tears running down Danny's cheeks when he mumbles his Alpha's name tell Steve everything he needs to know. They have learned that Adria's surly one of those who are capable of manipulating dreams. 

"Danny, Danny," Steve whispers in his ear and nudges him gently. "Danny, it's a dream."

Danny squirms in his arms, his eyelashes fluttering. "Babe?" His voice is still husky from sleep, his look confused and lost. 

Steve feels his heart clenched at the sight of Danny's eyes being tear-soaked. "You had a nightmare again."

Danny stares at him blearily and then rubs his chin against Steve's neck. "You're still here, babe." 

"It was not even your dream," Steve mutters, distressed to hear that relief in his mate's voice, knowing that Danny must have dreamed about losing him again. He holds Danny's wrist and puts Danny's hand on his mark. "We need to leave here. I can't stand seeing you suffering anymore."

"They're putting their wits together to rescue us. We need to be patient." 

A frown takes up residence on Steve's face. "You're shaken up. Why?"

Danny sighs, his face buried in the crook of Steve's neck. He takes a deep breath and looks up at Steve again. "I guess we're going to be dads. And I - I don't know. What if something happens or we make a mistake?"

Steve looks stunned, his eyes wide. Then his face blossoms into a blinding smile. "Wow. Are you sure? That's awesome. Really. How do you know that?"

"I kept dreaming of them," Danny murmurs, an arm around Steve's waist. "Maybe not all of my dreams are fabricated. I- I think I can feel them. I'm not sure. But I feel different." Danny frowns, frustrated at his inability to convey how he feels.

"Them?" Steve blinks stupidly before he peppers soft and grateful kisses on Danny's head. "Thank you. Thank you, Danny. You've no idea what this means to me. You give me everything I've longed for. I love having miniature Danny-s running around our house. Of course it'd be better if none of them tries to cuff their brother to a cage. We're definitely going to stash our cuffs in a lockbox. And if they're like you in more than one way, they might manage to get the key to the cuff lost."

Danny glares at him, much put upon. "You just had to go there." Which gets Steve beaming at him in triumph. "Sappy goof." Danny's expression softens and he finds himself smiling back at his Alpha in spite of his preoccupation. 

"We're so leaving here," Steve says firmly. "Gotta beam us off the ship next time when it's orbiting a planet with a gate."

"I have a feeling you've wanted to say 'beam off' for so long! But we still need to plan carefully." 

"Consider it done. I might have found a way to get rid of that damn bracelet as well." 

Danny shakes his head but smiles at him sleepily. "We're gonna talk about it later when my mind is clearer. Count on that. But you're right. We're going home."


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to the canon series, Ori warships have weaknesses. One of them is when they fire their primary weapon, the shields get unstable which makes it possible to enter an Ori warship through the ring platform.

"I know I sound like a broken record, but I really hate alien-related things!" Danny grumbles as they navigate through the labyrinth of corridors to the ring room. He fiddles with the stone bracelet. "The layout of the ship is more confusing than an aircraft carrier's!" After only getting a hearty chuckle in response, Danny continues, "You know when Grace wanted to get off some bracelet which was clearly designed for a much slimmer wrist, she'd cover her wrist with soap slime. I helped her to remove one tiny amethyst band once, and I remember I worked up a good lather and covered her wrist..."

Steve stops dead and pivots, his mouth agape in disbelief. "That simple? Why did you never mention it?"

"It didn't occur to me at first. Then I thought there was no point, since we don't want to take it off and alert the guards that we have some wicked plans before we can actually leave."

"And here I've been worried!" Steve crosses his arms, shooting Danny accusatory glares. He purses his lips and puts on his kicked puppy face.

"I'm still worried! We don't know what this one is and why she put it on me." He holds up his wrist, waving his arm a little to emphasize his point. "You don't think it a tracking bracelet, do you?" Danny pokes at it curiously before he snaps his eyes up to Steve's face. "Or a monitoring band. I swear to god if this is a band monitoring my physical condition to tell when we have the best chance of conceiving, I'm going to kill everyone on board!"

Steve swallows hard, finding Danny's irritated gestures adorable. "That's a little overkill. Don't you think so?"

Before Danny can roll his eyes at Steve, the ship is hit by blasts. They feel the vessel bumping under their feet. Danny and Steve scramble to keep upright when it takes another round of shots. This is ridiculous. How on earth is this warship in particular under attack when they are about to leave and when it's in orbit round a seemingly deserted planet?

"Son of a bitch!" Danny curses loudly. "I thought it has the best shielding system. Why does it jolt like a dinghy in heavy seas?"

Steve grabs his hand. "Better hurry up. It's around the corner. They're firing back now."

They dart through the corridor and rush into the ring room only to find a group of fellow dragons led by Alpha Mitchell and his mate show up inside the transportation rings. 

"What the fuck?" Startled, Danny almost jumps back and bumps into Steve. 

"We thought you were on Adria's flagship," Mitchell sounds equally surprised and more restless.

"Adria was on this one," Danny says, looking confused.

"Crap!" Hughes swears under his breath. "This is not her primary ship. I need to radio back and inform them. They didn't expect to encounter Adria down there."

"Another team has been keeping tabs on her primary vessel, convinced that you were held there," Mitchell adds. "And how many soldiers left on board?"

"Not many," Steve says. "Adria took nearly all of them with her. But she left the Prior to mind the ship."

Mitchell's brow furrows and gestures Hughes to send out a message to the HQ on their ship, who will relay it to everyone on the planet.

"Why don't we take over this ship?" Danny suggests. "I assume it's one of the best warships. And leave the Prior to me. I have a bone to pick with him."

Mitchell's eyes flicker from Danny to Steve who mouths "Don't ask" silently. Having heard of all the stories about this couple, Mitchell decides to keep his curiosity at bay.

"Hmmm, Adria can activate and pilot the ship remotely," Mitchell says. "The ship will be no use to us."

"She can do that from an indefinitely long distance?" Danny asks in disbelief. 

"No. Only from a modest distance." Mitchell gives them a funny look, a mixture of amused and curious. "Basically you're suggesting stealing an Ori warship?"

"Our original plan was to steal a fighter which is small and less noticeable," Danny admits with a shrug. "Since you guys are here, why don't we take a much better gift?"

"Do you know how to pilot the ship?" Hughes asks. "How to use the control chair?"

"I know!" Steve speaks up proudly and grins at Danny, waiting for his Wyvern to beam a compliment. Everyone feels they actually see a tail whipping excitedly behind him.

Danny looks adorably embarrassed, his face flushing. "Yes," he acknowledges grudgingly, putting a hand on Steve's arm. "He knows. He got - he got kinda bored with me and decided to kill time by learning how to fly this monster. He was happily busy spying on the Prior these days."

*

Danny smashes his fist into the Prior's face and knocks him off balance. "Was that you who said that I'm a slut whose only use is to carry the strongest soldiers for your God?!" Danny snarls at the Prior, who scrabbles away as fast as he can, his face bruised, his nose bleeding. 

Danny holds out his hand and takes the Prior staff from his Alpha who, Danny has to give him that, is struggling to keep his face neutral. Though, out of the corner of his eye, Danny catches a glimpse of his Alpha's lips twitching. It's obvious that Steve is about to reach the breaking point and crack up uncontrollably.

Danny ignores his goofball of mate. His full attention is fixed on the Prior. "Do I need to smack you with your own stupid stick?"

"That's mine!" The Prior wails with hot rage, his eyes burning. "My holy staff! You ignorant sinful slut!" He scrambles to his feet and makes a grab for it.

Calmly, Danny withdraws a bit and then punches the Prior on the nose. The pale man goes down hard, covering his nose. "My nose! It hurts!" The scream is echoing in the hall.

"Ouch," Steve has the mock courtesy to pull a pained face. 

Mitchell whispers to him conspiratorially, "it must be very painful."

Steve presses his lips into a thin line. "Every criminal back at our home has learned from experience not to mess with an angry Danny unless they want him to bite off their heads."

"Oops," Mitchell doesn't sound sympathetic at all. "What happens if they anger your mate?"

Steve shakes his head, feeling almost bad for the Prior who riled Danny to this degree. "Well, I have to say we have laws back home to protect even the brutal criminals from police brutality. Usually I was the one who was accused of such things by Danny. He kinda sticks to police procedures. But we don't have those things here, right?"

Mitchell shrugs nonchalantly. "Never heard of such things here."

They turns to the Prior and stares at him with twin sympathetic expressions which gets the pale Prior crawling back even further. 

"So, I ask you questions and you answer them honestly," Danny tells the Prior with a threatening smile. "Are we clear? I'll know if you're lying, so don't even bother trying. And if you insist trying your luck, keep in mind that you lie to me once, I'll give you a punch. Understand?"

*

"So it's not true that there's no signs of life on this planet. There's a small city deep into the jungle. And they're in possession of something powerful, presumably an ancient weapon, which Adria's interested in. She aims to convert them and take that thing, but she's still geared up to wipe them out if they dare refuse the path of the Origin. That's why she brought with her nearly all the soldiers on this warship." Danny continues, "okay, we have shut down the transportation rings. They can't come back. And we took the ship out of Adria's reach. Did I miss anything?"

Steve slides lower on the Control chair, his fingers laced behind his head, a picture that can head the entry of "relaxation" in any dictionary. "You forgot the bracelet."

Danny shoots him a glare. "Okay, that's something paranormal. It was made out of the same stone that had been used to carve a totem pole." Danny pauses, face flushing with embarrassment. "Which was for the worship of the fertility goddess." 

"So the rumors are true?" Hughes asks tentatively. "You got knocked up?"

Danny bites his lip to keep himself from groaning when Steve chimes in cheerfully, "yup, that's right. I did it!" That grin on his face is so damn smug. 

"And Adria has a device that allows her to trap a dragon in human form in a confined space," Danny manages to sound normal, trying to maintain his dignity and ignore the admiring glances Mitchell casts in Steve's direction. "We don't know if it will affect every dragon, so we need to issue an alert to all the dragons who might face Adria in the future."

Steve stretches his long legs out and asks his mate lazily, "Danny, what do you say if I fly this thing home?"

Danny kicks his Alpha on the leg. "Move your ridiculously long legs out of the way," Danny gripes. "And I thought we agreed that you'd let another person who's familiar with this kind of spacecraft navigate it and we'd go with Mitchell and his mate."

Steve grabs Danny by his wrist and pulls his mate into his lap, leaving the Wyvern's back against his chest. Steve's arms make their way around Danny's waist. "Their team can ride along with us if they like," Steve says, with a big grin on his face.


	33. Chapter 33

Lying on their bed, Danny curls himself into a small ball. He didn't try to lock the door after he went back from the infirmary. That would be pointless. Steve would manage to track him down and get to him even he holes up in hell. But Danny truly appreciates Steve's effort to give him some alone time and the illusion of privacy. Only if his goofy mate remembers that Danny can feel his emotions through their bond. His Alpha is pacing restlessly outside the door without realizing that he should keep his feelings under lock and key if he wants Danny to believe that he's sulking alone by himself. Danny feels a reluctant smile tugging at his lips. His goofy mate.

Danny throws a fluffy pillow over his head, careful to remain on his side. He doesn't want to upset or worry Steve. He just... Panics. He's entitled to feel panic after what happened to him and what all this means to him, to his mate and to the whole species. Yeah, the last part is the reason he's more anxious.

Having a feeling that they beat the odds and were gonna be dads is one thing, that suspicion having been confirmed is another. Right now he only wants to be left alone and not to think about the future. He feels like a freak. And why will Steve love a freak? For over three decades Danny has lived in a world where men don't get knocked up. So forgive his actually justifiable tantrum and wish to withdraw from the whole world and hide in their room for a while.

He needs to tell Grace. How can he tell Grace her little brothers are in her Danno's belly? That's the news no father would like to break to his daughter.

On top of this, nobody knows whether other Wyverns can have babies in a similar way. Danny has a suspicious feeling that he became the most sacred being in the dragon world. Either he's the only Wyvern or he's the first Wyvern to carry babies in human form. And it stands to reason that once they end Adria's threat permanently, he'll get more attention than he'd ever like. Dragons will see him as the auspicious sign. There are much much more Wyverns on earth right now and almost every Alpha/Wyvern wants to have their biological kids. He's one of them, OK? It's not that he doesn't want Steve's kids. And he really understands this kind of deep longing. Mate for life, remember? And what does a loved-up couple want more than their own kids?

He finds himself getting more confused about what his worry is about. Does he overreact? He knows that probably many people and Wyverns out there would like to have an opportunity like this. But he's not sure he's one of them. Not the part that he's having Steve's babies he loathes. He's just confused and scared. Or he simply went crazy and Adria secretly cursed him?

Speaking of Adria - what if he sneaks back to the front lines? Daniel has succeeded in neutralizing the Ori, but Adria's still there who didn't suffer the same fate due to the fact that she was in human form when that happened. And what made things worse is that she ascended after that and got all the power which had once been divided evenly amongst the entire Ori race. She sent more warships to the Milk Way galaxy and they need to end Adria's influence and the crusade.

But Steve would go crazy if he finds out Danny actually thinks about going AWOL. He'd better banish this thought right now. An angry Steve is frightening. A furious Steve, who fears for his mate and his kids to boot? Well, that'd be a force to be reckoned with, a force which might pose a much scarier threat than Adria would ever manage. And that would only mean one thing - Danny has to save a universe from Steve. That's quite a challenge even for him.

Danny finds himself smiling at the thought. His goofy mate, such a devoted and caring partner.

He turns uneasily. Another thought enters his mind. He's not fit for carrying babies physically. Okay, even he manages to carry them to term, how on earth will he give birth to them? Last time he checked, he didn't - doesn't have that specific canal. That's great. Anything can go wrong during the next - damnit, they don't even know how long this gestation period will be.

"Okay! This is enough!" The door is thrown open and Steve storms in.

Danny literally jumps from the bed with a start. "What the fuck? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Sorry," Steve sounds truly regretful. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just can't stand you withdrawing from me. I know you have a lot of questions on your mind, to which we don't have the answers. I'm quite sure you'll keep torturing yourself. And Tony wants to take you to the spirit realm, so you can ask Precious yourself and stop worrying. Danny, there's nothing wrong with you. You're my perfect mate. I'm more than grateful that you're going to give me the most beautiful and strongest kids."

*

"How is that possible?" Danny tries to sound calm. "I don't have those organs in my human body to be able to conceive in the first place!"

Precious explains patiently, "When we took human form, the male form to be exact, we still kept those parts in our bodies, hoping our mates could heed my warning and join us soon. But it took decades. By the time they finally took human form, there were only a few of them left and both Wyverns and Drakes had to merge with humans, couple with them to spread our blood. Those special parts in our bodies were no longer necessary. They became vestigial. But if the conditions and circumstances are right, those organs might develop again. We're a whole different species, Danny. I was not sure about it then. Otherwise I wouldn't have told Tony that a couple needs a female to have their physical children. Tony once thought the couples can go with the old way to have babies, which is to couple and conceive when they're in dragon form. But at that time I didn't think it feasible, because if you do it that way, you have to carry the baby to its full term in dragon form."

Tony asks cautiously, "but Danny doesn't need to stay in dragon form?"

"It's not an issue for him. He can shift as he likes. His body has already been adjusted for the pregnancy. Those reproductive parts will remain in his body no matter which form he's in."

Danny gets frantic with worry. "I don't think I can handle this. Being the first Wyvern in thousands of years to carry babies in human form. I don't know. I've never been the first one to try anything."

Precious frowns, obviously confused. "It's a blessing, isn't it? Children are the most precious gifts given to us. Why are you so worried? I know you already have a daughter."

"That's right. I love my little girl and love the little ones. I don't know. I just get worried. I really suck at handling things like this when everyone says this is so wonderful, I should feel blessed to be the first one. But in fact being the first one only makes me anxious. And the whole big miracle thing? That's stressful, like everyone is looking at me, believing that I give them hopes. I feel like I have to do this right, or I will let people down. And what if our folks can't find a way to make it possible for all Wyverns to get pregnant in human form like me? In that case, I would not just be the only one, I would also become the person who got people's hopes up and then let everyone get disappointed in the end without knowing how to fix it. Don't get me wrong. I'm truly grateful because I love my mate and I want to have our babies. It's just - I don't know. Maybe it's because unlike my goofy mate, I have no problem showing my vulnerability?"

 _Are you sure Danny? You've been known for your propensity for putting on stoic face when you're actually hurting or scared._ Steve hides his skeptic look, determined to be the super supportive and understanding husband. Yeah, his mate is pregnant and being panic and paranoid about everything. Steve refrains himself from pointing out that Danny lets his negative thinking get better of him. He keeps his mouth shut. It wouldn't be helpful. His pregnant mate has been edgy without his sarcastic comments.

Danny keeps babbling on and Precious looks amused.

"How long is the gestation period?" Steve asks carefully. "And what should I heed?"

A tiny grin appears on Precious's face. "We used to have a gestation period of 52 weeks on average, but I'm inclined to believe that your mate will go into labor after 38 weeks as any other human beings. And as to the other question, dragons are stronger. You don't need to be more nervous than any expecting human husband."

"Will other Wyverns be able to carry their kids in human form?" Tony asks cautiously. This will change the entire dragon society, or even the whole world.

"Yes," Precious answers laconically.

"How?" Almost every dragon wants to know.

"You'll know what to do in good time." Precious smiles cryptically, then its eyes rest on Danny's belly for a while before it tells the young Wyvern dotingly. "There will be a nice surprise for you and your mate, but you need to be patient. It's a wonderful news. Don't worry."

"Other than the fact we're expecting twins, there's another surprise?" Danny is not squeaking. Really. He's not that kind of guy. "For God's sake, Steve! Not one kid, but twins! Would it be too much to ask that you not be an overachiever?"

Precious actually chuckles this time. "It won't be long before we have many more kids in our society." It turns its fond eyes to Tony. "Children of Wyverns'."


	34. Chapter 34

He misses home - God, he calls Hawaii his home again! Though he understands that it's better for everyone that they remain in Colorado Springs. For starters, nobody outside knows his condition which would make too much of a stir, something that Danny'd rather not face right now. Besides, Steve's convinced that it's safer here at a military base. Given the common knowledge that Navy and Marine guys don't like Army-related things too much, it's really a miracle that Steve doesn't jump at the first chance to cut short their sojourn in Colorado. 

Privately Danny was a little worried about Steve, convinced that he would feel bored pretty soon. After all, Steve's that kind of guy who's always on the move. His big Alpha is fidgety by nature. But it turns out that Danny was dead wrong when he assumed that Steve needs to be outside to feel at ease. Steve seems quite content with his mate and his team members being close to him and he satisfies himself training new recruits at base. Anyone who sees Steve these days would say that he's definitely a happy expecting dad. 

Besides, Danny thinks to himself, Steve has a big Ori warship to play with. It's like giving a little boy his favorite gift on Christmas morning and allowing him to play with it to his heart's content. And nobody seemed to believe when he voiced his concern that it would be a bad idea to allow Steve to drive or pilot anything equipped with lethal weapons, especially when Kono is there encouraging him. 

He feels bad for Chin who he thought has to be against the two trigger-happy teammates on his own, until he finds that Chin lets out a breath of relief as soon as he catches glimpse of Danny being dragged by Steve into the bridge where the Control chair is located before he busies himself with the alien tech, clearly happy to leave the other two in Danny's charge. Danny gives him a look of betrayal, which, without doubt, Chin ignores easily.

*

Danny's dream becomes interesting and ... Erotic. His friends throw a surprise bachelor party for him at a strip club. The light is dim, the music vibrating through his head. And why on earth has Steve dressed up as a stripper beaming down at him? Danny stares at him stupidly, unable to tear his eyes away from Steve's bare skin. He knows that he must look like an idiot, but dear God, just look at Steve in the tight leather pants and nothing else! Danny's mouth is watering. His eyes drop involuntarily to the obvious bulge. Danny swallows hard. Then Steve steps down from the stage and gives him a lap dance. Oh my! Danny feels he forgets how to breathe, his lungs burning. No, not only his lungs, every part of his body is burning with lust. Steve smirks at him. Of course he knows what this does to Danny. As a cop who's good at undercover work, Danny is so damn transparent whenever it comes to Steve. His big partner leans in and bites at his earlobe playfully. Danny's breath hitches. His brain freezes. Steve grabs his hands and pulls him to his feet. He pushes him onto the stage and plasters his body against Danny's back. Then, he rubs against Danny.

Danny's eyes snap open and he draws in a sharp breath. His heart is still pounding rapidly as he comes to realize that Steve is, in fact, rubbing his behind right now. His Alpha's hot body is pressed against his back, his big hands roaming over Danny's chest and belly. Steve is panting softly, with his face buried in Danny's hair.

"Steve, are you seriously dry humping me right now?" Danny squirms, feeling Steve's stiff member pressed into his ass. 

"Hmmm?" Steve sounds dazed.

Danny turns around and finds Streve watching him through his long lashes stupidly and licking his lips as if he's looking at the most delicious dessert and debating whether he should devour it.

Danny stares at his Alpha's hooded eyes in fascination, his fingers sliding down across Steve's torso. "Were you feeling me up, babe?" Danny lets his fingers linger lightly on Steve's hot skin before he gets a grip on Steve's hard-on.

Steve's surprised hiss turns into a groan deep in his throat as Danny starts stroking his length. Steve's hips snap up uncontrollably to push into Danny's fist. "I can't, Danny," Steve moans. "I don't want to hurt you or the babies."

Danny squeezes it slightly, feeling Steve's muscles twitching and jerking, his cock throbbing in his hand. "So that's why you decided to be celibate without asking me what I might think." 

"Danny." Steve pants heavily, before Danny seals his lips with a bruising kiss. 

*

"It's come to my attention that you want to have children with your Alpha Drakes," Alrick says casually, sitting on the arm of the sofa. "Again."

"Yes?" Tony answers carefully. They don't even feel shocked this time to see Alrick pop up out of nowhere and look very much like it owns the place. Surely they've got used to this kind of unexpected visits, even Alrick only showed up in front of them once. Their tolerance for weird things must've been built up significantly. 

"Okay, I'll make that happen." Alrick walks around before it stops to fiddle with the photo frames. "You're going to go through mating cycles and have children with your mates like your ancestors once did, but in your human form." 

"Hmm, thank you." Tony really doesn't find other words to say.

Alrick's bright eyes return to Tony's with unconcerned coolness. "It's not fair that only one Wyvern has been blessed with pure-blooded offspring. We treat everyone of our children equally. We're indifferent, but not cruel. So instead of taking that blessing away from him, we give everyone of you the same thing."

After a long silence when Tony feels it starts to become awkward, Alrick says, "Surely we can't let an Ori affect the whole Wyvern race. And we had to tweak that couple's genes a little to right the wrongs done by an arrogant mortal."

Tony swears that he saw the powerful Yverian grit its teeth.

"And Daniel," it says, with its eyes narrowed slightly, "what you're looking for is not far from where you thought it'd be. Your original speculation is quite close to the truth."

Daniel's eyes widen in surprise, his mind churning. The original speculation? Where did he think it would be? 

"Haven't you said you won't protect our people against the Ori?" Blair asks carefully, unsure what to make of Alrick's not so covert hint.

"Yes." Alrick's face remains neutral. "There's only one Ori left. And we begin to find her unbearably annoying. She's caused us much more trouble than we're willing to put up with."

"Why don't you guys deal with her? Surely it's very easy for you," Jack can't help but counter. 

"It's too easy for us," Alrick states flatly. "We don't waste our time dealing with a spoiled brat with God complex. She's nothing more than an arrogant brat to us."

"Telling us the location won't be seen as breaking the agreement?" Gibbs doesn't bother hiding the note of sarcasm in his voice.

Alrick stares at him, emotionless as usual. "If we say it won't, and we do."

It looks around the room, taking in everyone. "We don't care what happens on this plane, but we won't neglect our children. I'll put off your cycles. No way I'd let you go into heat when you need to deal with an irritating Ori. Inconvenient timing and all."

Before anyone can respond, it's gone from the room.

"Is it just me, or did it imply something?" Tony asks quietly, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Like it was saying unless we get rid of Adria, it wouldn't let Wyverns conceive?" 

"Sounds that way," Blair admits reluctantly. 

"Not a surprise," Jim mutters. "It's just as nice as it was."

Gibbs searches Tony's face carefully. "I assume that was what Precious meant when it told you to wait and everything would work out just fine."

Tony shrugs stiffly. 

Gibbs frowns and pulls his mate into his arms. "I thought you weren't very enthusiastic about the idea of having babies. Why does the prospect of having to wait until we end Adria's influence bother you so much?"

"First, I'm not not enthusiastic," Tony grumbles, rolling his eyes. "I'm not like Danny. Kids don't like me. And second, this doesn't bother me."

"You actually expect me to believe this shit?" 

"Yes," Tony says firmly, his chin lifted up a little, all innocent face and wide eyes.


	35. Chapter 35

The previous night when Danny and Steve were just about to make out...

All of a sudden, there was someone in their room. Danny and Steve jumped to their feet as Steve pulled Danny behind his body and tried to wrap him up with the sheet without any conscious thought.

"Who are you?" Steve demanded, pointing his gun at it, unaware that he stood in all his naked glory and Danny drew his gun as well with nothing on except a sheet hanging dangerously low on the Wyvern's hips.

The otherworldly handsome one gave them a meticulous once-over. "Alrick's my name. I know the triad didn't divulge the origins of the Wyverns to you. It's shared on a need-to-know basis."

"So now we need to know?" Steve asked, his voice harsh.

At least Alrick had the patience to explain to the confused and alarmed couple. "Due to the ignorance and imbecility of an Ori, I had to make myself known in order to fix a problem. In short, my people are the ancestors of all Wyverns. We reside on a higher plane. I'm the leader of the ruling party. I'm sure you can feel the connection between us." It fixed its eyes on Danny. "All Wyverns will feel drawn to us in a way because the Wyvern blood in you actually comes from us."

Danny gazed at it for a moment, his face unreadable, before he lowered his gun and gave Steve a nod. Then he turned his eyes to meet Alrick's, who held Danny's gaze steadily and continued, "You're not us, but still we see you as our children. We won't let any of our offspring get hurt in such a way."

"What do you mean?" The concern in Danny voice was obvious.

"The Ori suppressed your human genes, in hope of making both of you pure-blooded temporarily, I presume, or she foolishly believed she could make that permanent. But either way, Danny ended up pregnant with pure-blooded dragon kids. What she did to you two would only drag you down. It'd be worse for Danny, when the kids grow bigger and start to fight against your human immune system."

"You can fix it, right?" Alarmed at that thought, Steve's face was drained of color. Without realizing it, he was pleading and had no idea why he was so sure this being before them could make it right. "Please heal Danny. Please."

"Hold out your wrists," Alrick instructed them emotionlessly. "Both of you." Then it took hold of their wrists in each hand. "I'm going to purify your blood. There won't be any trace of human blood in you anymore. All of your offspring will be as pure-blooded as the twins. Take it as a blessing."

After getting another look at the couple, Alrick dropped their wrists and disappeared in front of them without another word.

Danny blinked at the void space, with a frown set firmly between his brows. "Babe, am I dreaming or did it really happen?"

"Not dreaming. Unless we shared the same odd dream. How are you feeling right now?" Keeping hold on Danny's shoulders, Steve carefully examined his mate. Having all of his focus on Danny, Steve surely wouldn't care less about where it went or how it left.

"Much better, actually," Danny answered his mate with a big genuine smile, the one so endearing that Steve would never have enough of it. "Feels like reinvigorated. I was a little lethargic lately, but now everything's fine."

With his fond eyes fixed on Danny's face, Steve brushed the few stray blond hairs back. "You should've told me before that you felt drained," he sighed, stroking Danny's cheeks with his thumbs.

*

"We need to talk to you, Tony. It's urgent." Danny stops Tony who's on his way to meet a new Wyvern. 

"Something's wrong?" Tony asks, his tone concerned. "You Okay?" His eyes move from Danny to Steve, searching their faces for any sign. 

"I'm fine," Danny answers hastily. "Someone called Alrick paid us a visit last night and vanished in front of us. It mentioned you. Please tell me we were not hallucinating."

"No, you were not," Tony says evenly. His expression gives away nothing. "Follow me, both of you." He turns to mate. "LJ, call the others and ask them to come back ASAP. I'm taking the two to the conference room."

After recounting what happened last night, Danny waits nervously for their responses. It's not that he finds what happened the previous night suspicious. He simply feels that it wanted him to share the story with the triad. Curiously enough, he has no doubt about what Alrick told them. And he can tell they're a little different, their bond even sharper. It feels like drowning in the mingled feelings of two beings, like breathing in the mixed scent of him and Steve. He feels Steve more accurately through their bond. An odd but very comfortable sensation is humming between them. 

Jim rubs his chin absently. "It seemed pretty fond of you. Alrick was aloof and didn't talk much. When it did, it usually talked down to us. Or at least it gave me the impression that it didn't give a shit what happened outside their world."

"That was the closest thing you could get to Alrick being not that unconcerned," Blair adds, nodding in agreement. "I know it sounds confusing. But our ancestor's been apathetic. It doesn't have much compassion."

Danny bites his lip and looks upward with a thoughtful expression for a while before he says, "If it's the most powerful being in the whole universe like you guys said, I'd say it has every right to be proud, but that's beside the point. I don't care if our remote ancestor is a badass or an arrogant asshole. All I want to know is what it meant by saying no human blood in us and how it affects us." 

Blair gives him a sympathetic look. "You should just take it at its word. It meant it literally." Frowning in concern, Blair adds, "if you're worried about your kids and Steve, I can take some more tests." 

Before Danny can reply, Steve jumps in, "I thought I already talked you into breaking the habit of putting everyone else before you."

"Not everyone," Danny corrects him quietly, a content smile lifting the corners of his mouth. "Besides I'm fine. Maybe a little different. No human blood, remember?" Danny makes jokes, trying to convince his mate that he's better than alright.

"Danny, you're still you," Steve sounds firm as he gives Danny his loving looks. "Nothing will change who we are and how much I love you." 

Danny's smile falters. Feeling his heart swell at the thought that his mate knows him and still loves him, Danny nods stiffly and gives his Alpha a hug, burying his face in Steve's neck to hide the tears that threaten to spill over, which causes his Alpha to chuckle softly. 

Dame it! It suddenly occurs to Danny that Steve can feel every corner in him as he's aware of Steve acutely all the time. It's a whole new level of intimacy. It must be the damn hormones, Danny tells himself and emphasizes it to his goofy mate through the bond firmly. He's not that emotional.

"In fact, both of you are stronger now." Blair's voice interrupts their wordless banter. They look up to find Blair less disturbed and more intrigued. "Your human parts limited your powers as dragons. We can do more tests to confirm that. Of course after the birth of the cute little ones." Blair gestures to Danny's belly with a doting smile. "I love little kids. They are curious, eager to learn everything."

"Chief?" Jim says softly and shakes his head, a smile lingering on his lips. "It's getting off the point."

"Oh, sorry. I was babbling nonsense." Blair blushes, which is a rare display for him. "My point is pure-blooded dragons are much stronger than us, the current version of dragons. Otherwise why do you think Adria was so determined to have some pure-blooded dragons who would do whatever she says?"

"We're not the only ones, are we?" Danny says with only half humor this time.

Tony's eyes flick from Blair to Daniel, then back to Blair who finally answers, "You will not be the only Wyvern who's blessed."

Danny frowns. "You're not saying what I think you're saying, right?"

"I'm afraid I am."

"Alrick said it will give every other Wyverns the same thing it gave you," Tony explains after he catches the shocked look on Danny's face. "But we don't know if its generosity will be extended to our mates. It's not someone who elaborates on its plans."

*

"What's wrong?" Danny asks as he looks at Steve concerned. They've been officially out of commission for a few days due to the unusual complication concerning his pregnancy. He has been put on bed rest, much to his displeasure. Unless he gets the okay from the doctor, he's bound to bed. It annoys him, but the memory of the anxious look and stark fear showing on Steve's face made him capitulate in the end. 

They've been on a few difficult missions recently which required their unique specialties. Although they didn't face real danger, the travels alone took their toll on Danny's health. Even the strong dragon fetuses met their limits and started screaming at their parents in protest. What made the whole situation worse was when Danny felt cramps in his belly and bent over in pain on another planet, Steve was as pale as him. And as useless as him too. Kono and Chin had to drag both of them to the transportation rings and beamed them back to the ship. That was really a nightmare and nobody wanted to relive it.

"I know that look on your face, babe." Danny pokes at Steve's arm with a mock frown. "Who did you just hang up with?"

Struggling to keep his face blank, Steve say, "I don't know what you're talking about." 

"Like I'm buying it." 

Steve sighs. "It was my mom," he admits haltingly in what seems like anger and disgust. "She said she got Catherine out of the rehabilitation center and Cath's living with her when she's recovering." His face tightens with fury. "She told me to stop by as soon as I'm on leave and said Cath would be happy to see me. Me alone! She wants me to console someone who tried to kill my mate. I bet she must've pulled a lot of strings to get her out and even the triad have been ignorant of what she pulled with Catherine."

Danny draws in a surprised breath. "Babe. I've no idea. Are you okay?"

"She knows I've bonded and Cath tried to killed you," Steve grits out, his jaw clenched so tight that Danny wonders whether it hurts. "With what Adria might have done to her mind... That's the only reason I didn't push. What's being done about her is not enough. No one is going to hurt you and our kids."

The expression of concern on Danny's face fades into confusion. "She's your mother. She would never hurt your kids - her grandkids. Babe, you're paranoid."

"You don't know her. She's never cared about me or Mary. She wants strong Alphas under her thumb. Better some patsy to manipulate. I won't be surprised if she tries to make me mate with Cath and have kids, then she'd have a few dragons jump at her orders and live at her whims." 

Danny gasps in shock. "Babe, I don't know. How could any parent put their own kids through this? I'm really sorry you've been through so much."

Steve gathers his mate in his arms, his cheek pressed against Danny's soft hair. "I've figured that out long ago," Steve mutters wryly. "Maybe that was the reason my dad went MIA." He lifts his head and gives Danny a strained smile. "At least that's the wishful thinking which I've held on to."

Danny sighs deeply and wraps his arms around his mate's waist. "Sorry babe, I didn't understand why you don't like talking about your family. I was assuming you were the tough military guy. I never thought about what you might've been through. Sorry. I gave you a hard time for something that was not your fault."

"You were not wrong," Steve whispers and tucks Danny's head against his shoulder. "I was that kind of guy who didn't talk much and never opened up to other people. I never felt safe enough to let people in before I met you." Steve buries his face in the blond hair as he nuzzles and lands soft kisses on Danny's head. "Don't apologize. I just want to alert you to the possibility that she has her own agenda and the fact that my bonded mate, my future kids and even myself will never be of concern to her or even on her list of things she might care about."

"Steve -"

"Don't," Steve cuts him off. "For a while I blamed myself, convinced that I was not good enough and that was the reason why she didn't want us. But I know now unless I'm of use to her, she doesn't even spare a thought for me. She wants obedient Alpha lackeys. Being the boss of some Alphas sounds more appealing to her than simply being a covert agent."

His Alpha is rambling. Which Steve rarely does. 

Danny rests his head against Steve's chest and listens to him talking. That's one of the rare moments when Steve lowers his guard. That's one of those moments that's so sacred that Steve only shares with Danny. These rare moments, Danny comes to understand, are when Steve just needs him to be there for him, enjoying the contact, taking comfort of Danny's body against his.


	36. Chapter 36

Every chain of command may have a weak link. Steve has learned that the hard way. Not everything that happened in the field or even under normal circumstances would get round to the top commanding officers. He doesn't even need to stretch his imagination to picture what happened behind the triad's back. He knows how military works and how some truth gets buried in the tons of paperwork or bureaucracy. Steve turned it to his advantage to get his way when he had to make a hard decision in a war zone. Sometimes his supervisor and other high-ups would only get an edited version of what really happened. But the thing is that the rules are different when you're in a war zone back there, when your friends and teammates' lives depend on you. And getting an accused out of a mental rehabilitation center without alerting the triad who happen to be the ones who arrested and interrogated her in the first place is a whole different thing.

Steve feels that he really did his best to try to let it go and be focused in the present, to eliminate any threat posed to earth and make their planet a better place for their kids. Yeah, he gets a better understanding of what Danny meant when he told Steve for the first time after they got to know each other that he loved his job because what he did every day made the islands a safer place for Grace. 

He misses that girl too, almost as much as Danny does. They have to cancel their plans to spend the Christmas holidays together with Grace, since it seems more than likely that Danny will not be fit to take the long flight home and they can't take a girl on holiday on a secret military base. And the mere possibility of not being able to see Grace any time soon has left Danny dispirited lately, even Skyping with her every now and then hasn't put him in a better mood. 

He's noticed that Danny's appetite has been off recently and his Wyvern even lost pounds despite the fact that he is carrying twins. In addition, Adria's ships are near earth enough to unsettle everyone in Colorado Springs. He'd sincerely recommend against messing with him right now when he's got a lot on his plate, but he might love to take out on some idiots who cause them trouble. Actually he'd love that, so he can go back to Danny in a buoyant mood to cheer his mate up and care for his family. Yeah, he needs to punch some idiots to let off the pent-up steam. If Danny doesn't get better soon and put some weight on, Steve might really need to kick that alien bitch into eternity, because - no, actually, Steve simply hates her. Without those moral reasons, he still hates her for putting Danny through so much pain. 

*

"Steve!" Gibbs jerks his head, beckoning Steve to follow him.

"So, how's everything?" Gibbs asks him once they enters the room.

"Fine."

"I've got many complaints from the new recruits saying they've been wiped out by their trainer. I thought you're on sick leave with Danny and banned from the training field."

"Danny doesn't like to see me hovering 24/7 and said I would rather die than do nothing all day long. He basically kicked me out." Steve sighs. He admits that he feels warm at the thought that Danny understands him so well that many times things don't need to be said, though he's torn in the same time between hanging on to Danny and going out to do something he's been trained in.

"Anything else you might want to tell me?" Gibbs stares at him, those icy blue eyes sharp. "Tony told me lots of times recently that he felt you were troubled. I promised him I'd talk to you if it didn't get better. So what's bothering you?"

Steve holds his gaze, unfazed but certainly hesitant. After a long moment of silence, he seems to have made up his mind. "Danny thought we should give them the benefit of doubt and get the bottom of the whole thing before we fill you guys in on it. It feels like blowing the whistle and in the meantime there's a clear conflict of interests with us. Danny and I are really in an awkward situation."

"Get to the point," Gibbs cuts him off impatiently.

"My mom got Catherine out of the rehabilitation center."

"What the hell?"

"She must have many contacts who owe her big favors to pull this off," Steve says wryly. "I don't think she even knows we're with you or she expects me to never part with this information." 

"I'll look into it. Let's hope there's no corruption involved back there." Gibbs sounds so pissed that Steve will bet all his grenades (which he secretly stashed away) that heads are going to roll if Gibbs finds any evidence of wrongdoing.

With many thoughts looping through his mind, Steve gives Gibbs a short nod and is about to take leave, but the older Alpha stops him.

"One last thing. The Asgard gave us their latest technology, including many medical machines. Even they haven't reproduced sexually over several thousands of years, their medical technology used in obstetrics department and other branches is still decades or hundreds of years ahead of ours. Take Danny to the infirmary and get both of you checked out. He might not be up for active duty, but at least you may find something else to do. And stop overworking those new recruits."

*

"You're chipper," Danny says suspiciously, peeking over the book at Steve.

Without bothering to answer his mate, Steve pounces on the bed and cups the nape of Danny's neck to pull him into a deep kiss. "Hmm, you taste sweet, Danny," Steve mummers quietly, kissing his mate until he's breathless. "Hate it when we have to get out of bed."

Danny's face lights up and a bright smile joins the eye crinkle, causing Steve to be transfixed momentarily. "Where are we going?"

Steve recovers and gives his Wyvern a wicked grin. "Gibbs told me your favorite Asgardians gave us their latest technology, including some awesome medical machines. He asked me to take you to see the doctors. Maybe we can get cleared."

"Asgardians?" Danny lifts his brow with an inquisitive look on his face. "Anyway. Thank God. I feel like I would melt into this bed if I spend one more day lying on it."

"I'd like to have you in bed with me all day." Steve pouts a little, pulling a sad face. "But I know you can't put up with me any longer. I mean seeing me all hours of the day." 

"You're being ridiculous," Danny sighs and shakes his head. "I simply pointed out the fact that you need to go back to work. You never did well when you had nothing to do."

"I did just fine."

"Keep telling yourself that, we might buy it one day."

Having his eyes glued to Danny's body when the Wyvern changes into some clothes appropriate for the temperature outside, Steve seems to be so busy staring mesmerized at his mate that he blurts out without thinking, "I like seeing your throat scales, but it's really a mystery that you don't cover your throat with a tie now when it's way colder."

"That's because I spent most of my time recently roaming on arid plains or hiking through barren mountains," Danny pauses to cut Steve a sidelong look, "on another planet. So, try not to get used to it."

 

*

"Boss!" Kono sticks her head into the room. "Have a word?" She gives Steve a meaningful look before she flashes a smile at Danny and greets him cheerfully, "And boss number two. You do look glowing, exactly as Steve bragged about. Just hang in there, I'll give him back to you in a minute before the scan finishes!"

"You can keep him as long as you like, Kono," Danny says jokingly, pretending that he hasn't noticed the way she's breathing or sensed the anxiety pouring off her.

"Danny!" Steve whines in protest, giving his mate's hand a squeeze. "You can't get rid of me, Danny. I'll be back before you know it." He leans in to bring their lips together for a soft kiss and pats Danny's hand a few times before he walks away and leaves the room.

"What happened?" Steve closes the door and asks Kono quietly.

"Our HQ back home got raided. A group of unidentified men, heavily armed, broke into the office and smashed the tech-table. No injuries or casualties. They got away before the tactical team even got there. Chin was on the phone with Lou. No idea of the motive right now."


	37. Chapter 37

"So what's the plan?" Kono asks eagerly.

"What plan?" Steve says with a frown. "We don't have a plan. It's Lou's case. Tell him to keep us posted."

"That's all?" Kono widens her eyes in disbelief. "Chin and I can go back and help them," she offers tentatively.

"No point in doing so." Steve shakes his head, expression serious. "If they're after us, you going back might be exactly what they want. Besides, Lou's in charge now. He's gonna run this case and keep us in the loop. Tell him to let us know if there's any security breach. I'd like to be prepared if there's a real threat to us."

"Got it." Kono nods solemnly. "Do you think that they were trying to get information about us?"

"Sounds likely." Steve takes a few moments to think about it carefully. "But our mission here is highly classified. I'll let the triad know. It might be nothing, but better be ready. Nobody would be happy if we have to guard against our fellow beings when we put our lives at risk for protecting them from predatory aliens."

Looking lost in thought, Steve's brows furrow. "Call every contact we have. Give them a heads-up and ask them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious, especially those concerning Danny, even remotely relating to him."

Kono's expression becomes concerned. "You think Danny's the target?" 

"Until another Wyvern gets knocked up, Danny's in a precarious position," Steve sounds truly agitated. "At moments like this I really wish I had Gibbs' gift of knowing."

"Boss, how do you feel recently?" Kono asks casually, voice a little too light to escape Steve's notice.

"What do you mean?" The Alpha gives her a curious look.

Kono bites her lip, trying to find the right words. "I've never doubted that the triad's mates are powerful and they're our leaders. But don't you feel your power changed lately? Maybe change is not the right word. But you feel very different."

Steve wants to say something sarcastic, just like what Danny would do, but the information that Alrick paid them a visit and made them pure-blooded is something that he can't even share with his ohana. So all he can do is to pretend that he has no idea at all. "That so?"

"Yeah, it feels like you're a whole lot more powerful. Danny gives us the same feeling, but a little bit different from what you feel like." Kono clearly tries her best to make Steve understand what she means. "There're different kinds of powers pouring off of him. And not all of them are his gifts that we already know."

Steve meets her eyes, his head tilted, looking the least worried. "That's interesting. I'll ask him about that later."

"How's he doing?" 

"Getting better." A wide, silly smile stretches across Steve's face. "Maybe a little cranky when I hover around him."

"Brah, you guys gave us a hell of a scare," Kono grumbles. "I've never thought you would be flustered like that!"

"Sorry." Steve flashes her a shy smile, running his hand through his hair. "He scared me too."

*

The door to the infirmary opens, a medic walks out and speaks to Steve, "Commander McGarrett? Dr. Cummings wants to know if you'd like to see the holographic images of your twins."

Steve's eyes light up at this immediately. He looks elated and totally surprised. "I can see them?" That's not what he's expecting at all. But this is way better. "I thought it would take some time to start the scan. And see them? For real?" 

"Well," the medic replies casually, with the look of a man who seems to have seen many more wonderful things. "Asgardian technology. Surely it doesn't run Vista system, right? Come on in." He holds the door and lets the excited Alpha squeeze past him and rush into the room with his female Beta close on his tail.

Minutes later. "Wow, that's amazing!" Kono lets out the breath she was holding, her eyes wide with all kinds of emotions. 

Steve's completely overwhelmed. He holds Danny's hand and stares at the glimmering pale blue image of two small ones, holding each other and breathing! He can see their chests heaving, sometimes their small hands clenching into tiny fists and one of them even shove his thumb into his mouth. No one has told him that how strong his feelings would be when he sets eyes on the image of their kids for the first time. He can't help feeling grateful to Danny for giving him a family.

He knows he has his small family since the day he bonded to Danny, but seeing them with his own two eyes makes everything feel so real.

"That's incredible, huh?" Danny asks quietly as he gives Steve a little squeeze. "Way better than our traditional ultrasonic scan."

"Yeah." Unable to form any coherent thought, Steve only manages to squeeze Danny back in response.

"See, they're perfectly developed." Dr. Cummings looks at the hologram with the same awed expression. "I think you can have more fun behind a desk now Danny." The doctor smiles unrepentantly at Danny who grumbles under his breath, as he helps the Wyvern get out of the examine table.

Seeming to flash on something important, Steve whips his head around and asks the doctor in a concerned voice. "Why hasn't Danny's belly shown? I mean, according to the books, it's about time. Right?"

"How could you even have time to read books?" Danny asks incredulously as he puts on his coat. 

"I read after you fall asleep." Steve brushes it off, his eyes still fixed on the doctor. "Danny must've lost pounds. He looks too thin." 

"That's the mystery of Wyvern's anatomy. Actually Danny didn't lose too much weight. A few pounds at most. But we still should take it seriously." Dr. Cummings sighs when he catches Danny's scowl. He holds up his hands in the gesture of surrender to placate the sulky Wyvern. "I know you want to go back to work in the field with your mate, OK? I understand. But have pity on us. If something goes wrong with you or the kids," the Beta doctor makes a show of giving a shudder and tilts his head to Steve, "your mate might smash up my infirmary. You know I quite like my new toys."

"I would," Steve states flatly, a deadpan expression on his face, as Danny can't help but roll his eyes at him.

"And don't bother to play innocent with me, Danny," the doctor continues in a resigned voice. "You know well we're under scrutiny right now. If anything happens to you, Tony will be the first one to be unhappy about it, which will only make Gibbs annoyed. And that means our lives will become unpleasant, if not miserable. You should have known well how a single Wyvern's mood can affect many other poor dragons' lives!" Dr. Cummings lifts his chin up slightly and pulls a brave face for good measure, drawing a reluctant smile from the sullen Wyvern. 

*

"Come on! Let's go roam around together in our dragon form! You need to spend more time in dragon form to reduce stress levels." Having his arms full of his Wyvern, Steve plasters his body against his mate's back and starts swaying. He presses his cheek against Danny's and whispers in his ear. "Please."

Danny tips his head back to look at his Alpha, who is busy giving him his best wounded puppy eyes. "No puppy eyes!" Danny slaps Steve's arm reproachingly. "If I'm not allowed to fly to my heart's content, you're not allowed to use your cute puppy eyes."

The cautious smile aiming at pleasing his mate falters and a pout shows on that handsome face. "Danny, when you fly to your heart content, I always end up in the water or nearly crash into a tree. You think that's funny?" Steve looks sideways at his Wyvern as a mischievous grin grows. "You know what? If the boys fly like you, you can't blame me for their flying skills like you often did when I was driving."

With an incredulous look on his face, Danny turns around to stare at his goofy mate who's standing there, arms now folded over his chest, bright hazel eyes stubbornly fixed on Danny's. The Wyvern has to bite back the smile that threatens to steal across his face. "Okay," he says easily, holding Steve's eyes, "then I can blame you if they ever dare to hide any kind of weapon in our house. Especially grenades." 

Steve's face is priceless as he gapes at Danny, desperately trying to find anything smart to say to defend himself. "I didn't hide any grenade in our house," he tries weakly. 

Danny snorts with amusement. "If their future excuses are as lame as yours, I would be so relieved, for that means when they hit puberty, there's still no way for them to get away with their lies. Terrible liars."

*

Wyvern Danny rolls over to bring his belly to his mate who stares at him stupidly, with that dragon version of goofy grin spreading across his face.

Steve drops onto his belly and lies beside Danny. Sensing another two sets of heartbeats drumming strongly inside Danny, Steve rubs his cheek against Danny's belly lovingly, causing Danny to rumble in pleasure and tangle their tails without thinking. Steve raises his head a little to peek at his mate's face only to find a contented Wyvern, eyes hooded and mouth opened slightly, making those soft sounds that feel like purring for a dragon. 

Feeling the comfort of Danny's body against his, Steve lowers his head and rests it gently on his mate's stomach. He finds his eyelids drooping helplessly, himself lulled to sleep by the sounds of steady heartbeats. 

The sensation humming around Danny is calming and pleasant, making Steve unable to tear himself away from Danny's side. The way Danny sparkles with energy, exudes an aura that people around him finds extremely magnetic, and the halo of that amazing scent encircling his presence - Steve snaps his head up, his eyes wide open, as he's jolted out of his reverie by the sudden revelation.

Danny smells different.

Steve sniffs the air and the intoxicating smell hits him, like him being smacked in the face, causing all his senses to focus on the source - his mate. How could he miss this? It still smells like Danny, but something has changed. Steve takes another deep breath to identify the subtle change, only to find himself engulfed by the new incredible scent of Danny. 

This is really interesting. Unlike Steve's newly sharpened senses, Danny's empathy seems more soothing when it gets stronger. His other gifts also take on that mellow comforting quality. 

Steve tilts his head, looking at his sleeping mate curiously.


	38. Chapter 38

Steve notices something is wrong with his mate when Danny doesn't complain about being stuck behind a desk. Actually, Danny doesn't bitch about anything lately. Not even once he groused about his crazy mate, which is the weirdest thing ever, since Steve tried a few times to wind him up for the sake of it. What makes the Alpha's heart sink further is that he's damn pretty sure Danny manages to shut down their telepathic connection, because he can't feel how Danny feels through their bond. But he can't remember a single thing that could set off the alarm on his Danny radar. They spend almost 24/7 together. Danny can't hide something bad enough to upset him to this point from Steve even he tries.

Steve stares openly at Danny who wears a blank face and is uncharacteristically quiet when something suddenly flicks in the Alpha's subconscious. Unless it's because of the email(s) Danny received and read. That's probably the only thing that could upset Danny while Steve has no inkling of what's going on.

With a covert glance in his mate's laptop direction, Steve makes a mental note to rope Chin in to help him find out what it's all about. Maybe he needs to bribe Chin into hacking Danny's email account. Though he files this away for the time being.

He watches Danny as the blond works diligently, reviewing files about The Trust - an interplanetary terrorist organization, which comprises rogue ex-NID operatives, ex-Committee members and later some Goa'ulds. The current leader, Ba'al, a Goa'uld, happens to be the one whom Adria accidentally released from a device which had trapped him, and the one who abducted Adria and took her as a host, which led to her ascension in the end. Quite a mess for these two aliens.

Now Danny's been working on it, in the hope that they can find out Ba'al's hideout and get more ammunition against Adria, since a Goa'uld can have its host's memory. If they're very lucky, they might even have a chance to get rid of these two major threats in one go.

Just like numerous times before when they didn't have a pressing case and Danny sat behind his desk, poring over those cold case files, pen in hand and a look of concentration on his face, Steve finds himself unable to look away from his mate, who's as focused as usual, the pink tip of his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth. Which Danny often does without knowing it when he zones into something that catches his eyes.

Danny's new assignment is simple in a way, because nobody has ever caught a break, so it's understandable that Danny doesn't come up with a lead either. But it's also a difficult task in Steve's opinion, because he knows that his mate's determined and relentless. Danny will never toss a case away without going all out.

Steve gazes at his mate, who doesn't seem to notice him at all. It's been like this for days and Steve starts to wonder whether it's because Danny's so engrossed in his work or he studiously ignores Steve. And due to the malfunction of their telepathic link, he doesn't know if Danny's sad or upset or troubled. Or he simply has had enough of Steve and decided that he doesn't want to put up with his Alpha anymore.

It's a lifelong relationship, right? Steve thinks to himself, frantic with worry. His Wyvern can't severe their bond, right? Why can't he feel anything through their bond? Their bond... It's still there, isn't it?

"Danny?"

"Huh?" The Wyvern replies distractedly as he keeps his eyes fixed on the file open before him and wets his pink lips with his tongue subconsciously.

"Have you felt anything strange about our bond?" Steve bites his lips nervously.

"Um... No." Danny answer is succinct.

"Danny..."

"Shhh... Talk to you later Steve." Danny gives him a dismissive wave without even raising his head.

"But, Danny..." _It seems something's wrong with our bond._

Steve's words dissolve as Danny stands up abruptly. "I might've found something. I need to go talk with Tony. It's urgent." His blue eyes, glinting with excitement, flick from the file to Steve's face. "Babe, it might be late. Don't need to stay up for me." He leans in to land a quick kiss on Steve's lips before scurrying away without asking Steve if the Alpha would prefer to accompany him.

*

Thanks to his super senses, he catches parts of the talk Tony's having with Blair. Of course he's way out of earshot, even for an Alpha, but his enhanced senses now are beyond superb. Anyway, the mention of Danny gets his attention immediately, because, let's face it, his entire focus has been on his mate. It seems Tony as well is worried about Danny. He confides to Blair that he can't feel Danny's emotions. It's alarming enough for Steve, since Tony's one of the most powerful Wyverns whose empathy is not only strong but also quite unique. He can practically touch one's emotional landscape and have a clear view of one's emotional state. It's very much frowned upon for Wyverns to deliberately feel someone's suppressed emotions, but for those with strong empathy it's not a difficult thing to pick up on those hidden feelings. If Tony pokes at Danny's defenses and still can't find a crack to breach them, it only means one of the two things: either Danny builds a strong shield around himself or there's no such things as emotions left in him. Either way, his mate has cut him off.

The sounds of Tony talking fade into the background noise and Steve starts to feel the onset of a severe headache. He has stretched his hearing too far when he can't get feedback from Danny to ground his senses. The deprivation of emotional connection with his mate finally catches up with Steve and it's like slapping him in the face. He's noticed the physical pain inflicted on his body in the last few days, the tendrils of migraine threatening to twine around him and then suffocate him. He has forced himself to ignore it or push it away to focus on his mate. But now he can't feel anything but the excruciating pain of loss of their links and it hurts like hell.

Steve stumbles and drops to his knees as he covers his face in a pathetic attempt to soothe the unbearable pain. His head is throbbing and his vision goes all gray.

"Steve!" Danny cries out when he hears the thump and finds his Alpha collapse in front of him, head in his hands, shaking and moaning.

Danny kneels down and cups Steve's face when Steve scrabbles to hold on to Danny. "What's wrong? Babe, look at me." Danny wipes away the tears which are leaking from his Alpha's eyes, and makes those bleary eyes meet his. "What's wrong? You look like in so much pain. How bad?"

Steve's eyes are still unfocused as he tries desperately to wrap his arms around his mate and press Danny to his chest.

"Shhh, I'm here. I've got you." Danny rubs Steve's back and then runs his fingers through his mate's damp hair. "What's wrong?"

"I - I can't feel you," Steve stammers, his face a grimace of pain. "It feels like you cut our bond. It's like you built a shield around you to cut me off."

Danny's eyes widen in horror as the meaning sinks in. "Oh, sorry, babe. I didn't know that. God, what did I do?"

The next moment Steve almost falls forward and onto Danny. It feels like being hit physically. All kinds of emotions rush over him. Love, fear, worry, fondness for him. He basks in the feelings Danny has only for him. "I love you, Danno." He wraps his trembling arms around Danny and buries his face in his Wyvern's hair, breathing in Danny's scent while sobbing uncontrollably.

Danny holds his mate tight as he lets his empathy reach out to smooth over those painful places in Steve which he's sure now he should've done long ago when they bonded, but back then he couldn't even use his empathy to touch people's emotional landscapes. "I love you too. I'm so sorry babe. I didn't even know what I did to you. I love you. Shhh, I'm here."

"Danny," Steve says in a choked voice against Danny's head, "I thought you wanted to sever our bond and leave me."

"That's never gonna happen, Steve. Till the end of the whole universe, when there's nothing left of me, I will still love you. When there's only the ghost of me, I will still be with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that's right. Danny has no idea that after Wyverns die, they go back to Yveria, but he still promises Steve that he'll be with him forever.


	39. Chapter 39

After helping Steve into bed, Danny crawls right up next to his mate and lets the Alpha hold him tight. It's a shock to Danny as well as to Steve that the Wyvern actually didn't realize that he built up a shield and accidentally blocked their bond which caused Steve so much pain, both physically and emotionally. Danny sighs and moves closer to his goofy mate. All of this shouldn't have happened, if only his emotionally stunted mate could have told him that he couldn't feel him through their bond. He's pissed at Steve slightly for the man still didn't understand that he can tell Danny anything and at himself a lot for he didn't notice the abortive attempts at engaging Danny into a conversation and those pathetic tries at drawing Danny's attention. He has been a fool. He should have noticed that something was weighing on Steve's mind. It's not the first time that his Alpha failed to speak his mind and ended up in a less than pleasant situation.

He remembers that Steve once tentatively asked him about their bond. But nothing felt out of kilter on his end. Besides he didn't realize that his shield was up and more importantly Steve was on the outside. He was so close to catching Ba'al. He was so obsessed with his work that he wasn't aware that his mate was in misery.

Danny rests his head on Steve's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat to calm himself. He can't imagine what it would be like to be cut off from his own mate with whom he's been connected. After Alrick paid them a visit, they've got some kind of the telepathic links, though Danny didn't have time to explore it. But the mere thought of being unable to feel Steve gives him the shivers and makes him tighten his hold on his mate instinctively, which, naturally, causes Steve to squeeze him back, happily. Of course, if Steve's not still so shaken at this moment, maybe happily is the right word. 

"Babe, I'm so sorry. The shield was up automatically. I had no idea that you were blocked outside. You were supposed to be within it. It's supposed to protect you as well as it protects me."

"Protect me from what?" Steve is still groggy, all dazed eyes and weak voice.

"From any mind probing, emotional attacks, things like that."

Steve gives him a small smile. He's better now, but still clinging to Danny, hanging on for dear life. "Sounds awesome."

"It's still new to me. I need to work on it, but I bet it was meant to be an instinct back then. I guess many alien races with superior psychic abilities are capable of controlling or attacking a human mind. Adria can do that." Danny keeps stroking Steve's chest, drawing some unrecognizable patterns on it. "It turns out that I don't need to build it up intentionally," he mutters, looking up at his mate while cupping Steve's face and running his fingers across it, causing Steve to rub his cheek against Danny's hand. "Babe you know I love you, right?"

Steve's eyes flutter open, his hold tight, pulling Danny closer although they already press against each other. "I know. It's just I can't live without you. I can't even bear the thought of you leaving me."

Danny pulls himself upward, burying his face in the crook of Steve's neck and half draping himself over his Alpha. He cards his fingers through Steve's hair, scrubbing his scalp gently. "I'll never leave you. Can't believe I did this to you. Still have a headache?"

"Throbbing a little-" Steve's voice is cut off by the soft teasing kisses Danny is landing on his mouth. He scrabbles to grip Danny's waist to tug him up, letting his Wyvern sprawl across him, enjoying the welcome weight and warmth of his mate. "Much better now." Steve pants quietly against Danny's curled lips. 

They belong to each other since they were born. He's gifted with great senses, now ridiculously excellent senses, and a wonderful mate who not only sharpens his gifts and grounds him, but also loves him with his whole heart. Now he truly understands that Danny has been always his even before he emerged, before they met. This is the way things are supposed to be. In a way, he's addicted to his mate. And what he experienced over the previous few days was simply severe withdrawal symptoms. Only he doesn't stand a chance of surviving detoxing from his mate's love and affection. He needs Danny as much as he needs air to remain alive.

Steve starts nibbling at Danny's jawline, nosing and lapping at his throat, greedily inhaling his new scent, causing Danny to whimper and writhe in his arms helplessly. It's imperative for him to re-imprint his senses on Danny, to re-map his mate's body and to reconnect with his Wyverns and their kids. To bond with the little ones. The weird words rush into Steve's mind as he flips them over and slides down to nuzzle the gentle swell of Danny's belly. It doesn't show as much as it did when Danny was in dragon form. An amazing mystery, Steve thinks inwardly as he's busy taking pleasure in imprinting on the little ones.

Suddenly Steve snaps up his head, a look of amazement on his face. His eyes are wide in surprise. "Did - did you feel it? I think they just responded to my imprint!"

Danny chuckles softly, watching with an amused smile as Steve lowers his head again and peppers kisses on his belly. "That's what I want to talk about with you. I think dragons used to communicate with each other telepathically before they merged with humans."

Steve raises an inquisitive brow momentarily before he rubs his nose against Danny again. 

"That's how you felt them. They did respond to you. No, they're actually responding to you." Danny feels a bit jealous all of a sudden. They've never responded to him that eagerly and he's the one carrying them! "God! They're definitely gonna be mini McGarrets. Don't let them blow our house up by accident." 

A stupid grin spreads across Steve's face as he caresses the smooth skin under Danny's shirt. "Try not to blow anything up, little guys," Steve says in the no-nonsense tone of an ex SEAL but in fact he has to summon all his mental power to maintain his straight face.

Which doesn't seem very successful, judging by the glare Danny's giving him. "God," Danny groans, "I'm gonna sleep on the street or in my car, ain't I?"

"We have a beach and a tent, Danny. Many people would kill to sleep in the tent on a beach in Hawaii." Catching the murderous expression on Danny's face, Steve flashes his mate a toothy grin. "Not to mention that you'd have three handsome men keeping you company."

"I'd rather sleep under a roof by myself," Danny grits out before he widens his eyes and lands his hands on his belly. "Holy crap! Are they serious?" 

With the same shocked expression, Steve lowers his eyes to his hand, the one that stroked Danny only a second ago. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong with them? They're too young to give an affirmative response. Right?" Steve looks up to meet Danny's eyes uncertainly.

The Wyvern bites his lips for a while. "I heard Tony mention once that Precious told him it's not a matter of fairness that mundane humans are not as powerful as Wyverns because we're a different species. Actually I think Precious meant the dragons are different from humans, no matter Drakes or Wyverns. When they came to earth and chose Alpha Drakes as their mates, surely they chose the more intelligent and stronger species as their mates, if there were humans on earth back then. Though I highly doubt that. Don't forget that human races were created by the Ancients and the Ori. Unless the Ancients had gone to earth and seeded it with life before they took the original group of Wyverns there, there was no humans on earth when the Drakes and Wyverns met for the first time. So don't measure your pure-blooded kids against human fetus. Yeah, I'm still struggling with the idea of being a whole different species. Anyway, these two might not be able to form a rational thought at this stage, that would be very scary. But I think they can feel happy or not and let you know how they're feeling."

Steve looks impressed as he resumes caressing Danny unconsciously. "That's very insightful, Danny. How do you know that?"

"The power of deduction, for God's sake!" Danny rolls his eyes. "You've been a cop for years! Have you learned anything to be a cop or a detective?"

"Your Danno yells at me again," Steve says sadly to his mate's belly which gets a joyful reception through their parents-kids bond. "Are they laughing at me?" Steve asks in an incredulous voice and shoots Danny an accusatory look.

"No! They're simply gleeful." Danny bats his lashes at Steve playfully, trying to fight back his own smile.


	40. Chapter 40

"What the fuck?" Danny gasps, watching in a daze as the creatures' skin melting away.

They're surrounded by a group of skinless beings. That's such a horrifying sight to behold that they're nearly stunned. Danny recovers first and shouts out, still riding the high of adrenaline. "Get down you ugly things." With a startled look, Danny watches as some of them fall to their knees.

Wow. My telepathic ability must've gotten stronger significantly, Danny thinks to himself wryly. Even the damaged brains are susceptible to his telepathy.

"Steve! Aim at the head! Or they won't be stopped. I can't control all of them!"

Steve eyes him with a face of awe as he starts picking off those on their knees immobilized by Danny.

But clearly those creatures just like the zombies they saw in tv drama are attracted by the loud sound of gunshots.

Danny winces with dismay, considering abandoning the mission, when he hears a commotion not far from them. He cranes his neck and finds the most unexpected person encircled by another group of walking dead. A dark haired man dressed in black BDUs fires a staff weapon.

"Ba'al!" Danny cries out in surprise. "What are you doing here alone?"

"We've been set up by that bitch!" Ba'al shouts back, infuriated. "I was lured into this trap."

Danny cuts him a sidelong glance. "Adria?"

"Who the hell else would want us to fight against each other?" Ba'al says in exasperation. "I was under the impression that you guys were coming to destroy my - something." Ba'al breaks off sharply.

"Point." Danny has to admit that he does have a point here. "Something?"

"Don't bother. It's wrecked." Ba'al moves towards them cautiously as Danny and Steve keep a sharp eye on him. "You guys just go, I can stall them for a moment, but not long."

"Why?" Danny asks suspiciously.

"Because I run faster than you do!" Ba'al shoots off the head of one creature. "It's not the first time I work alongside humans."

"We can fly," Danny says wryly while stepping back from the melee.

Ba'al whips around to look at Danny in disbelief after he takes out another one. "You gotta be kidding me. Go, go, go, go!" He start sprinting and makes a break for it.

Danny nods at Steve and the other teammates, then they shift and fly into the air.

*

When they're back on board their ship, along with the unwelcome guest, Danny takes Ba'al's hand device and other weapons away before he asks sarcastically whether the Goa'uld needs a lift to earth.

"So you're dragons, not humans," Ba'al observers.

"Do you have some sort of vision problems? Did you not see his Alpha marks?"

Ba'al glances at Steve and makes a face before he turns to Danny. "I was busy dealing with those skinless things and talking to you. I didn't get to look at him. And you were wrapped up in that ridiculous BDUs. I didn't notice your scales." He speaks with the tone of somebody who might actually think that it makes perfect sense to him.

"Are you hitting on me?" Danny asks in disbelief while Steve growls at Ba'al.

"No, of course not!" Ba'al says firmly, although he's leering at Danny in fact. "My people mate for life as you guys do. But a little flirting can't do any harm."

Danny throws up both his hands. "Unbelievable! What are you? A teenager? You've been living for hundreds of thousands of years! Seriously, you're older than most of the other species. Quit flirting with anyone breathing."

Ba'al gives him a boyish smile. Or he seems like he tries to look boyishly innocent.

"Wait a minute. You're not the original one. You're one of his clones." Danny eyes widen and studies his face carefully as the full realization is sinking in.

 _Mitchell killed the real one._ Danny tells Steve telepathically. _Oh, Kegan told me, not Mitchell himself._

Steve lifts an eyebrow at his mate. _I see. You've made a lot of friends._

 _What can I say?_ Danny shrugs with a smirk. _People like me. They tend to talk with me. Kegan and I talked a lot when you were busy torturing those poor recruits._

Ba'al squints at them, looking intrigued. "Does every couple do this kind of annoying things? Exchanging these meaningful looks without saying a word? Making eyes at each other?"

Danny barks a laugh, patting his mate's arm lovingly, his fond eyes meeting Steve's. "No. That's kinda our thing." Which draws a big grin from the tough Alpha.

"I always find aspects of human culture and humans intriguing," Ba'al says curiously. All the previous slyness in his voice is gone. "Of course you're only partly human. Anyway now you know I'm not older than you."

"Again?" Danny groans. "You have his memory! For God's sake. And why are we discussing your age at all?"

"You think I'm too old to flirt with you," Ba'al sounds amused a lot, unfazed by the death glares Steve keeps shooting his way.

Danny turns to his mate and grabs his hands. "Babe, for the first time I find I was wrong. You're definitely not the most annoyingly childish being on earth. We have a millennia-year-old alien acting like a teenager. You're totally a responsible grown-up compared to this one!" Danny levels an accusatory finger at Ba'al who looks as innocent as he can pretend.

Steve preens on the compliment, beaming down happily at his mate, clearly forgetting all about the irritating alien and that he was so mad at him.

"Only trying to lighten up a little bit," Ba'al says while he stretches himself gracefully. Catching the guarded looks on the couple's faces, he laughs. "Relax. I can't take you guys as host. Your dragon genes will kill me. I have no intention of suicide now. And your mind will be constantly fighting mine for dominance. I don't like such a huge challenge. Besides, there isn't a chance of getting into you." He gestures at Danny. "Thanks to your spine scales."

Danny rolls his eyes. "Fine. So you said we were set up by Adria. Sounds like you know something and have your own agenda here."

Ba'al's expression turns murderous. "I lost an army down there! Of course I have a personal stake in catching that bitch."

"Army? You still have Jaffa Guard?"

"Kull Warriors, in fact. But not on earth, of course!" It's Ba'al turn to roll his eyes. "And yes, the original one died and I got everything."

With a suspicious look, Danny says, "so you get all his memory he had before he made a bunch of clones. But after that, every clone has a different experience, and that makes you yourself. The unique one, different from the others."

"Are you a philosopher?"

"Ha. Very funny." Danny snorts. "I was trying to understand why you're acting like a teenager who has felt hard done by."

"With all due respect," Ba'al says wryly, "I was a God and then an emperor who ruled over many planets. And now I only want to live my life and try not to die a miserable death. Especially I have no desire to die because some bitch declared an intergalactic war on earth. I don't owe the first Ba'al anything. I simply live on earth."

"He basically created you," Danny points out dryly. "And seriously? When did you get the citizenship on earth?"

"I didn't ask him to create me. And I do have a right to choose how and where to live my life."

"I think you really need to apply for something like citizenship before claiming a right to live somewhere far away from your home planet."

*

Later after they contact Jack O'Neill, an old acquaintance (archenemy in fact) of Ba'al's, and inform him what happened, Danny and Steve retreat to their room.

Danny sprawls on his back, stroking his belly as he watches his mate stripping in front of him. "Babe?" He bites his lips.

"Huh?" Steve crawls into the bed and tucks Danny into the curve of his own body.

"I think your sons might be midnight as you are," Danny ventures, rubbing his cheek against Steve's. "Or at least one of them is."

"Really?" Steve's tone is more loving than curious.

"I guess so." Danny turns around and pecks Steve on the lips. "My hearing is way better. Midnight Alphas have ridiculously sharp senses, don't they?"

Steve nods distractedly, pulling his mate in for another deep kiss.

Danny continues, "but I think my better hearing is only temporary."

"I don't mind what color their scales are as long as they're healthy and happy," Steve mutters. "More importantly, as long as you're happy and safe."

Danny cups his mate's face and stares into those hazel eyes. "Did I ever tell you that you're gonna be a great father? Steve, you're the most caring yet tough man I've ever met. And I love you. Your kids will be proud to be yours."

Steve gives him a shy smile, the one he rarely flashes and he only wears it when he feels genuinely flattered. Danny returns him an equally bright smile and snuggles up to his Alpha. "I love you, big goof. Our big hero."

*

"Son of a bitch!" Danny sits up abruptly. "That bastard lied to us! He's not the one who took Adria as a host!"

"What?" Steve pushes himself up into a sitting position, feeling lost, his arms empty of his mate's warm body.

Danny turns his body so fast that he falls almost half on Steve's lap. "The reason Adria had to ascend was that she was poisoned with symbiote toxin by Ba'al who was in her body when the Tok'ra removed him. He's the only known System Lord who was extracted from their host."

Steve blinks at him in confusion when Danny goes on, "that one was dead after extraction. How did this Ba'al have Adria's memory?"

Danny rubs his face in exasperation. "I should've been more cautious." He gets up and starts to put on his clothes as his hands knife through the air, beckoning Steve to change. "He's the most flexible and adaptable Goa'uld. The others are arrogant and rigid."

Before Danny even finishes his ranting, the two of them freeze in the act of changing. They exchange meaningful looks in total shock.

"He's gone. How did he manage to leave the ship?" Danny finally finds his voice.

"I locked away his weapons and that device. He can't get his hands on them." Steve looks at Danny, his expression serious.

"He must've had other things on him," Danny grits out. "Something looks normal. Something inconspicuous."

"Guess he doesn't look forward to meeting with Jack."


	41. Chapter 41

Danny broods on what happened over the last few days in a very bad mood.

Ba'al and Adria hate each other's guts. That's for sure. Each one sees the other as a threat to their plans for building an empire on earth. Still he missed something and Ba'al escaped from their ship when he was a little surprised but convinced that this Goa'uld was gonna work with them. And that was his fault. He was the one who reviewed the files and he had the wool pulled over his eyes. It's true that Ba'al has worked alongside them a few times before. He tended to do that every time he found it beneficial. And that's why he survived the downfall of the Goa'uld and became the only known System Lord. But his real loyalties have been known to lie only with himself.

Danny's mind is wandering when he feels a pair of strong arms with defined muscles coming around his waist and pulling him into a hug. He leans back, taking comfort in breathing in the familiar scent of his Alpha. 

"Don't beat yourself up for it, Danny," Steve mutters softly. "I searched him. If you have to blame someone, it was my fault."

Danny lets his body relax in Steve's arms. "No. I reviewed everything on him. I should've known that he had a portable transportation device on him."

Steve lands a soft kiss on his temple and tightens his hold. He knows there's nothing he can say to Danny that would make him feel better, though he does know how to get Danny's mind off something temporarily.

"Come here and lie down with me for a while. I'm so tired, Danny. I need to have you in my arms."

Danny crawls into bed without protest and curls up on his side. He reaches out to stroke Steve's cheek lightly. "Are you alright, babe? You're literally pouring out exhaustion from your pores."

Steve puts his hand on Danny's side and lets his mate adjust to a more comfortable position before he scoots closer, grinning at Danny stupidly when the Wyvern grumbles. "Too many things going on right now. But this won't last long." He kisses Danny's forehead while surreptitiously sliding his hand down and putting it on his mate's belly. "I know you miss home and Gracie a lot. I'll see to it that our home is safe before these two boys come into the world."

"I see." Danny flashes him a genuine smile, the one that always takes Steve's breath away. "You've had everything planned out, super dad!"

*

Steve winces as a series of thoughts spin past in his mind. 

It's already past midnight and Danny sleeps soundly and safely beside him. His Wyvern has snuggled up to him in his sleep, draping an arm across his thighs as he leans against the headboard in the darkness. He listens to the sounds of Danny's breathing, running his fingers through his soft blond hair, making Danny move even closer to him and rub his cheek against his bare skin. 

Ba'al escaped from their ship and Danny has blamed himself for it, because he feels it was his fault. That made Steve worried about Danny a lot. For he knows that Danny will only work harder to get his job done. His Wyvern might exhaust himself in a few days if leave to his own devices.

On top of all that, Steve got a call from his former CO, who he suspected had been a friend of his mom. He told Steve he'd got many phone calls from his mom, telling him how worried she was about Steve. He said that he didn't have the clearance to know Steve's whereabouts to reassure his mom, so it'd be better that Steve'd do something about that. 

After he hung up with White, he called Mary immediately to give her a heads-up and ask her to be careful. They'd never been very close after their dad sent them away, but they were still family related by blood. Sometimes they said terrible things to each other, but in the end they were pretty stubborn about the fact that they were the only person allowed to insult the other one without having to face the consequences. Besides, Steve understood it must've been very hard for Mary to be the only human in her own family and that might have helped her go wrong. But she had come to her senses and actually tried to make up with her big brother. Everything was getting better and she truly liked Danny. The two had gotten on like a house on fire and she once joked (Steve was not so sure that she was joking) that she should have tried it on with Danny when he was a human, if she was not so certain that her big brother would definitely kick her ass if she ever dared to try to seduce his partner. Steve only gave her a dry laugh in response then. 

Reflecting back on those unbelievably pathetic attempts to separate him from Danny, Steve's more than annoyed now. He tried to ignore them and focus on Danny and their babies on the way and their ohana as well. But some people just don't get it and keep pushing the envelope. Do they believe he doesn't have the resources to protect his own family? His only family.

He has more than enough useful contacts and influential connections all over the world who own him big favors. He doesn't object to collecting them now.

He knows that they try to lure him away from Danny. Do they really think he's an idiot? He has run through all the possibilities and known that the best way to deal with it is, in fact, to do nothing personally in regards to it and stick with Danny. He has seen so many people think they did the right thing to leave their loved ones alone and go on a personal mission to wipe out all the threats only to find out later that they actually left their loved ones unprotected. He'll never make that kind of mistake. They all forget that he is still that same ruthless SEAL who has spent all his adult life in military. Danny gives him a life worth living and that only means he's gonna do everything to keep it that way.

He has never been a stupid man. He's only Danny's goof - Danny calls him that as a term of endearment and he once said Steve's their big hero too, that's the way Danny tells the Alpha he loves Steve - and he only has a soft spot for Danny. Maybe their kids later. And if someone really believes they can harm his mate to get him available, he's gonna see to it that they live to regret it. He has no problem destroying anything or anyone who is a threat to his family. After all, a lifetime of military service did make him harsh. 

It's about time to get in touch with some people. Those he once thought he would never cross paths with again.


	42. Chapter 42

Before he gets to call his contacts, Steve feels the need to talk with Gibbs first. Not about what he's gonna ask those people to do, of course. But that's the weird part. He doesn't want to get that older Alpha pissed off or disappointed. (Danny would definitely rib him about his obsessive drive to win this man's approval.) Besides, what he's about to do is not strictly legal. At least not in the eyes of humans. He knows that Danny still has trouble dealing with the whole different species situation, but he accepted it as it should be. It's not something that he needs to dwell on. Like when he was in a war zone, he just accepted the situation as it was and worked out a plan to get himself and his team out in one piece.

He has noticed the physical changes in his body as well as in Danny's. It's hard to miss that. He's stronger and faster. He ages slowly and heals much faster. Although he doesn't possess that kind of phenomenal psychic abilities like Danny does now, his mind gets clearer and his focus shaper. It seems easier for him to express and feel intense love for his mate and their children, by extension, milder love for their ohana and their kind as a whole species. Which means those dragons who threat the stability and prosperity of their race irritate him to no end. Otherwise, he feels rather disinterested.

Steve keeps wondering these days whether it was the way to survive before dragons took human form and bred with humans. In consequence, the power given to the Drakes and the power that the Wyverns possess as their birthright have been watered down significantly. Many gifts have been lost, certain knowledge shrouded from hybrid offspring.

Back in Precious's days, the dragons couldn't breed at the rate humans did. (Steve doubts that they can now.) The intense love and overwhelming protectiveness they felt for their mates made it possible to carry on their bloodlines. And now every emotion Steve feels and how he reacts are downright the outcome of Alrick's intervention. It tuned Steve and made him react to the world in the same old way.

Steve secretly suspects that Alrick has a wicked sense of humor. Since it's Wyverns' remote ancestor, Steve actually understands its chilliness toward Drakes. And maybe the irresistible desire to mess with Drakes, only if it has the normal emotions like mere mortals have.

Recently, Steve comes to realize that some of his contacts are not humans as they look like. He's not too bothered by that revelation either. The classes he took in Colorado before they went on missions had been very enlightening. Some missing pieces were found; something finally clicked. So his mind made the jumps and he came to the conclusion that some of those who saw him as their savior and he did save their lives are aliens. Really, Steve doesn't dwell on what they do for a living.

Danny stirs beside him. "Babe? Why are you still up?" His voice is husky, his eyes bleary, giving him a vulnerable look, making Steve want to hide his mate in his embrace from the whole universe forever. (If Danny won't kick him for that.)

Steve gathers him in his arms and kisses him gently. "I don't really need that much sleep lately." Catching the concerned look on Danny's face, Steve strokes his cheek reassuringly before he says, "I'm perfectly fine, Danny. Don't worry about me. I only need three or four hours sleep to feel fresh the next day."

"That's weird, but amazing," Danny's words get slurred as he pulls himself upwards to rest his head against Steve's shoulder. "Do you need to check it out?"

Steve rubs small circles on Danny's back. He finds comfort and contentment in every square inch of contact, something that he has never thought possible. "I'd say it's a bonus for being a pure-blood." 

"Why don't I get it?" Danny squints at his Alpha suspiciously, which earns him a goofy grin from his goofball of mate, who puts his hand on his belly reverently.

"Looks like some guys used up all of your energy," Steve suggests with a grin.

"You're being silly," Danny yawns as he takes Steve's hand on his belly and interwinds their fingers, "but I love you anyway."

"Love you too." He pulls Danny snug against him, beaming happily as Danny squirms in his arms until he finds a comfortable position to use his Alpha as a body pillow.

Stroking Danny's side, an idea suddenly occurs. He makes a mental note to call certain someone as soon as he can disentangle himself from Danny's hold without waking his mate. 

"Danno, I'll do everything for you."

Steve drops a light kiss on the top of the blond hair before he slips out of the bed. Standing by the window, in the moonlight, Steve scoops up his phone and sends an encrypted email.

*

A few days later when Steve is tending to a groggy and nauseous Danny, Kono and Chin rush into the room, breathless, causing Steve to shoot them an inquisitive look.

"What's wrong?" He asks, eyes narrowed dangerously.

The cousins exchange some concerned looks and venture a covet glance Danny's way, before Chin finally says, "We got a phone call from Lou. Someone grabbed Grace from the street."

Danny drops the cup he's holding.

"What happened?" His face is strained.

"What do we know?" Steve asks, his voice harsh with anger, as he pushes Danny into a chair. He swears if let him find out who're behind this, they'll regret that they were born to this world. He'll send them to a Wraith Hive ship as snacks.

"That's the weird thing," Kono says. "We know nothing. Lou said they got nothing. No physical evidence. No phone calls from the kidnappers. No demands for anything. It seems they simply wait."

"I need to go back. I need to get my baby girl back." Danny struggles, trying to squirm out of Steve's hold. "I should have been there to protect her."

"Danny, Danny, listen to me. You need to calm down, to think." 

"I can't. Steve. She's my baby girl!"

"She's our Grace. We all love her. You need to think. I'm the one who's reckless and you're the one who always uses your brains. You know I'll do anything to get her back."

Danny's face sinks as he tries to process the information. "They want us," Danny gasps when the full wight of realization sinks in.

"They're waiting for us to show up which means they won't hurt Grace."

Choking back tears, Danny gazes at his Alpha. "Steve. She's still a little girl. She'll get scared." 

"I know Danno," Steve says seriously. "But I'll do whatever it takes to find her and bring her back. I've never promised you something that I can't keep. You know me. I'll never do this to you."

Danny grabs his shirt. "Yes. You never broke your promise."

"That's right." Steve cups Danny's face and makes the wet eyes meet his. "I'm telling you I'm gonna bring her back to you. To us. Give me a little time. Believe me. She's fine. She's the smartest girl, as clever as her dad."

"Boss?" Kono hesitates, holding the tablet and looking at the two men uncertainly.

Steve lifts an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Video call from Gibbs." She holds up the device and shows it to them when the stern voice comes over. 

"Steve McGarret! Get to the conference room right now! And take your Wyvern and your team with you." 

Click. 

Great. Gibbs just hung up on him. So typical. Steve winces at the thought.


	43. Chapter 43

"Danno!"

The moment they enter the conference room, a tornado in the shape of a little girl barges past some dragons and runs into Danny's arms, almost knocks over the surprised Wyvern.

"Grace? Why are you here?" They stays locked in the tightest embrace for what seems like forever before Danny is convinced that his daughter is indeed safe in his arms. "Did you get hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," Grace replies as she gives Kono and Chin a hug before she turns to tug at Steve's shirt until the big Alpha gets it and scoops her up. 

"Hi, Gracie!" Steve says, on a strangled note, feeling his heart clenched at seeing tears dotting her eyes, when he pats her back softly. "It's okay now. We all feared for you. Danno was scared." 

With her arms wrapped around Steve's neck, Grace looks at her dad. "Sorry for worrying you, Danno."

"You're safe now. That's what matters." Danny lets his mate pull him into the hug as well, with Steve's arm around him protectively, while the Alpha balances the little girl with his other arm.

"Sorry," Grace says apologetically, her face buried in Steve's neck. "It shouldn't have taken so long. The runes are too difficult to remember. I had to try a few times before it worked."

"That's okay," Steve reassures her. "It's called hieroglyphic, not rune."

Danny stares at the two people he loves the most in confusion. But before he can ask anything about it, they hear someone clear his throat. It gets them turning their heads around only to find a very angry Gibbs.

"Shall we talk now?" Gibbs asks curtly.

"Did I get my dads into trouble?" Gracie asks, looking worried, her lips trembling.

"No, sweetheart," Gibbs' voice changes into probably the softest one that he can summon up, making Tony have to bite his lips to refrain himself from laughing so hard, which earns him the most exasperated look his Alpha has ever shot him. "We just need to clear something up with your dads. You can stay with Kono and Chin for a while when we talk with them. I promise you we won't keep them for too long. Okay?"

"'kay," Grace replies, her face still stained with tears. Steve puts her down and gives her another hug. "Sorry dads," she sobs quietly when the two men hold her tight.

"We'll see you later, monkey," Danny promises his daughter and pecks her cheeks before they let her go.

"Sorry dad," Grace mouths to Steve whose eyes follow her attentively before she leaves the room, making the tough Alpha's heart stutter.

"Okay, now you two, pray explain why Grace had a portable transportation device and walked through the Gate just about half an hour ago?" Gibbs huffs, glaring at Steve. "If it were not for some fortunate coincidence that Tony was there at that time, what do you think they'd do to a little girl walking out of the Gate?"

"I'm not aware that shooting anyone walking through the Gate without asking a single question is an option," Steve retorts caustically.

"Steve?" The concern in Danny's voice is obvious.

Steve's expression softens visibly at Danny's voice. He moves his eyes from Gibbs to his mate and flashes him a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. I've been worried about Gracie for quite some days. So I sent her a gift with that nickname on it, the one only we know about, to make sure she would get the message that it was from us."

He turns his head around and holds Gibbs' gaze. "After we talked that day, I came to realize that they'd try it again. And if they can't get me away from Danny, they would eventually try to lure Danny back. And Grace is the only person who can make Danny do anything without thinking about it rationally. So I figured it'd save us a lot of trouble if I gifted Grace something that would be useful in an emergency."

Gibbs grunts, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. "Where did you get that device? Do you have any idea what the consequences are if the civilians learn about all this alien thing?"

"I have contacts," Steve replies evenly. "He's not a dragon, thus not accountable to us. And I don't think they are that ignorant of the existence of aliens."

Picking up on the sarcasm, Gibbs narrows his eyes. "I told you to leave it alone and not to do anything reckless. The corrupted ones have been taken care of though we haven't found anything incriminating that would point to your mom."

Danny looks aghast at this and Steve puts his hand on the small of Danny's back to give him some comfort as the Alpha replies firmly, "You told me to wait and do nothing, but I said I would never tolerate these people who deliberately sabotage our relationship and endanger the race."

"You can't make it a personal vendetta," Gibbs hisses.

"It looks very personal to me."

Gibbs scowls at him. "How do you expect us to explain to LEOs or Grace's mother that the girl is with us now on the mainland far away from where this shit happened? Do you really have to take everything into your hands? It was not your responsibility."

"Grace is my responsibility and I have to say I haven't taken it into my own hands yet," Steve's voice becomes dangerously calm. "I only tried to protect our child. I didn't do anything to eliminate the threat. Actually, come to think of it, that's exactly what I should have done."

"Okay, that's enough," Tony cuts them off. "You're about to get my mate going postal, Steve," he chides him quietly. "LJ loves that little girl. He won't allow anyone to harm her. He was trying to figure out how you got possession of an advanced alien device and how we could play down the involvement of said thing. And to be honest, he did everything he could to get to the bottom of that mess in the rehabilitation center. We do have to follow some certain rules."

After getting another good look at these two Alphas, Tony nods at Danny. "Take him back. These two testosterone-filled Alphas are about to bite each other literally. Let them lock it down a bit before we talk about this whole thing. And you guys go back to comfort Gracie. She's been through a lot. We'll visit you this evening after they pull themselves together."

Danny gives him a grateful look as he pulls his Alpha away to break the glaring contest.


	44. Chapter 44

"Did you hear him?" Gibbs asks Tony in disbelief. "He disobeyed my orders and had plenty to say as if he did nothing wrong."

"Come on. You didn't order him as far as I know."

Gibbs gives Tony his patented glare, more annoyed at the thought that his Tony speaks for other people.

"And what do you expect of him? Do you really want another McGee? The one when he started working with us who stammered every time so much as you looked at him? McGarrett used to have full immunity and he always did things his way." Sensing Gibbs' displeasure, Tony wraps his arms around his Alpha's waist and chuckles. "I know it's a mess and we have to come up with a convincing story to shush LEOs or Rachel. But at least we now know there're more unregistered aliens and alien devices on earth than we thought. Admit it that you're relieved Grace got out of it unscathed. Thanks to that small gift Steve gave her."

Gibbs scowls at his mate. "Do you really need to defend him?"

Tony grins unrepentantly. "You're unhappy about it partly because he's like you. You don't respect rules that much yourself, unless they're your rules. You always get your way." 

"That doesn't always end well," Gibbs sighs. 

"You have me now," Tony mutters against his mate's neck. "I think it's a happy ending."

"I don't like subordinates who don't follow my orders," Gibbs grumbles.

"For God's sake, Jethro," Tony whines with a roll of his eyes. "Technically he's not your subordinate. Second, he didn't butt in when we cleaned up the mess in that rehab center. This was what you specifically told him not to do."

Gibbs grunts an agreement reluctantly when Tony pinches his behind.

"After Daniel and Jack come back, and if everything goes as planned, we need to have a serious discussion about what to do next, since the reproductive nature of Wyverns will cause an earthquake for sure."

*

"Why are we here?" Steve asks curiously after Danny pulls him into an empty room. "We should go back to our quarters. Grace is waiting for us."

"I want to thank you first, babe," Danny says as he looks Steve in the eye. "You saved Grace."

"She did it herself." After a pause, Steve says in an amazed voice, "she called me dad."

Danny snorts with amusement at the sight of his big Alpha radiating with pure happiness simply because his little girl called him dad. "She called you dad before." 

"She only referred me as one of her dads before," Steve replies, looking the perfect picture of sincerity. "But she said sorry dad to me this time."

Feeling the warmth spreading across his body at seeing the contented grin on Steve's face, Danny can't stop his own stupid smile from forming. "I see. My girl called you dad and now you become silly. But thank you. I mean it."

Steve scratches his head and smiles at Danny almost shyly, his face a suspicious shade of pink.

"You big goof," Danny sounds amused, pulling Steve into a tight hold. "Why do you blush?" 

Steve wraps his arms around Danny's middle and presses his cheek agains Danny's. "I don't know."

"Okay, but I want you to know you're as important to me as Grace is," Danny says as he holds Steve a little tighter. "You never comes in second place."

Seeming unable to get words past the lump in his throat, Steve squeezes Danny quietly in reply and knows the Wyvern will understand him. They stand there, latched onto each other for a long while until Steve finally finds his voice and asks, "How are you feeling right now?"

Danny lifts his eyes to meet Steve's, those deep hazel eyes filled with love and concern. 

"You were feeling poorly when Kono and Chin showed up." Steve holds Danny's shoulders and searches his mate's face for any sign of being uncomfortable.

"Nothing serious, babe. I felt dizzy. It was like everything was spinning in front of me. Got me sick."

"That sounds serious," Steve says, regarding Danny carefully.

"I'm better now."

"That's because the adrenaline rushed through your body when you heard Grace was in danger. Your body was prepared to fight." Steve shoots him a cautious look and sighs. "Wait till the level falls."

*

It's not easy for Danny to come to a decision this time. He hates to lie to his daughter or ask her to lie to his mother. Despite everything that happened between him and Rachel, he has never doubted that she's a good mother. He knows how a parent feels when his kid is in danger and he can do nothing about it. He knows how scared and wrecked Rachel must be feeling now, so the least he can do is to find a way to tell her Grace is safe without revealing anything to which she's not supposed to be privy.

And there's Grace. Although his daughter seems to understand that weird (awesome) device which looks like a watch shouldn't be in the possession of a little girl and she's such a caring girl that she's more worried about them than herself, Danny still has his concerns and he reluctantly chalks it up to her outstanding resilience. Transporting? Grace didn't look troubled by that in the slightest. 

Another thing weighing on Danny's mind is how to explain his physical condition - namely, the fact he's carrying twins. And in less than a few months, he will be the first male who gives birth. Still a fact he struggles to reconcile himself to. So he hasn't told Grace about it, even if he's allowed to talk about it with people outside the very small circle who've already known. Besides he doesn't know how to tell her that her father was knocked up by her uncle Steve. He doesn't even try to imagine what a PR nightmare it would be, if anyone else gets wind of it. The media would have a field day with that, of course, if they are not panicking at that time.

The Council and even Steve don't want to bring it to light. It's a sensitive situation. With little information on this aspect of Wyvern physiology, it's hard to predict how the public will react to this news. Surely it's sensible to assume that the prospect of Wyverns, seen as males by humans, being able to conceive and carry kids would only be a reminder of how different the dragons are from humans and the fact that they are two very different races. Even they have interbred for ages. 

Danny sighs. He doesn't need to be in law enforcement to know that so many conflicts merely stem from the lack of trust between two different groups.

Maybe the Council should consider releasing information about possible alien threats. Only crisis like this has a way of drawing people closer together. If anything, it might shift the spotlight away from Wyvern reproduction. And if he doesn't misinterpret Alrick' meaning, there'll be more baby dragons to come in the near future. Though it's really hard to say, since said Yverian has an unhealthy interest in being irritatingly ambiguous. 

Danny grimaces at the thought, unaware that he squeezes Steve's hand hard. He's lost so deeply in thought that he doesn't notice the dizziness coming with tons of information rushing through his head.

Danny stumbles, eyes wide in shock. What just happened? Feeling extremely terrified, he looks up, instinctively reaching for Steve, the only one who makes him feel safe and the one who grabs both of his hands at once, trying to hold him up.

But then his vision dissolves into black.


	45. Chapter 45

A few days before 

Ba'al sits in his luxurious chair, feeling the smirk tugging at his lips, but he manages to keep a blank expression. "Why do you think I want to do business with you? I'm afraid I have to say you have nothing to trade with me."

"My son is a promising Alpha Drake. He'll be of great use to you."

"Then why don't I do business with him? Besides I've met him and his mate. I don't understand why you think he'll listen to you."

"I only want the best for him. He's meant to be the most powerful dragon in the world. Instead he chose to give into the biological drive to mate with that man."

Ba'al rubs his chin, looking amused. "If you're talking about his abilities, he is one of the most powerful Alphas. And if you are talking about influence, may I suggest that your son is a family man who likes spending time with his mate, rather than climbing up the social ladder. Surely you don't need me to tell you that. After all, you're his mother." 

"Of course I know. I can't believe he failed to live up to my expectations. That's not him. He's being a slave to his genetics. He'll be better off without that man."

Ba'al says in a businesslike tone, "See, here's the problem. I'd rather like to see myself as a businessman these days. Times have changed, so must we. We don't take unnecessary risks anymore. Let's put our cards on the table. What do you want from me and what will you give me in return?"

"I know you wanna rebuild your empire here on earth." Ba'al's eyes narrow at this offhand remark. "You have humans to enslave. I want my son to be the most powerful dragon. I have contacts who can get you near enough those big boys. You can murder their minds and take the bodies."

"You're a disgraced former agent who didn't even have high enough clearance back then. Your contacts seem of little use to me. And have you not noticed that your son has little interest in purchasing importance? We kinda count on this."

"He needs to get his head out of his ass and to understand that his mate is not his whole world. He only drags him down."

Ba'al laughs heartily. "Did I mention I've met your son? They looked the perfect loved-up couple to me. And he'll tear me apart if I put a finger on his mate. He might even track me down to the hell. Why do I want to make such an enemy?"

"Just tell me where they are. I'll do it myself."

"He didn't even tell you their whereabouts. And you try to convince me that he'll listen to you and be in the pay of my people? I start to feel you're delusional. You really have no idea what your son and his mate or people like me are capable of, don't you?"

"I know what my son wants the most. He'll understand eventually. He'll feel grateful to me and he'll listen to me. He wants a family of his own. He won't be able to father any kid if he is with that man. I have a perfect match for him."

Ba'al cocks his head and his expression changes. "You only proved that this is a complete waste of my time. I don't even know why I have patience with this nonsense. Maybe I'm too bored lately. Heed my words. Unless you have something valuable to exchange, don't even think about that you can simply trick me into doing some dirty work for you."

*

"My Lord."

"Who brought her into contact with us?" Ba'al asks, annoyed to say the least.

"A member of Committee who seems an acquaintance of her."

His expression hardens. "Our hands are really tied up right now. Unless I can find my Queen and produce enough offspring to replace those annoying arrogant morons."

"My Lord. Those Seniors complain a lot recently."

"Let me guess, they are not happy about me being in charge. They want the real Ba'al. They think we still live in a world where we can take over a planet by force without a hitch. They're senile and refuse to die." Ba'al's voice drips with bitterness.

"Sir?"

"Drakes and Wyverns are as ancient as we are. Before we came to earth, they'd already lived here. They're not some weak races we have conquered. Do you know they had a hand in the downfall of Ra?"

"For real?" Ba'al's lo'taur sounds astonished.

"Of course. Who else could take down Ra's gliders?" Ba'al lapses into silence. After a short while, he says, "If it's not for the rare shortcomings of their physiology, we might have had to abandon this planet for good long ago."

"Are they really that strong?"

"They used to possess phenomenal psychic abilities which we don't have. Lucky for us, their lifespan is short, merely a fleeting moment compared to ours, and they can't breed at the same rate as we do. We've lived for hundreds of thousands of years and learned to perfect our skills to make that up."

Ba'al turns his glowing eyes to his servant. "If General O'Neill gets rid of that bitch this time, we might need to consider leaving this galaxy to somewhere seeded with only human races. A dragon free planet. It's gotten much harder to infiltrate into SGC. Almost all of the important members are dragons."

"My Lord?"

Ba'al lifts his eyebrow quizzically.

"What do we do about that woman?"

"Keep an eye on her. I don't want to get on the bad side of McGarrett right now. Maybe we can do him a favor. One thing she was right about is that McGarret is truly valuable. Besides we choose the smart ones to be our allies. Even temporary ones. We don't like to have some stupid allies who may accidentally stab us in the back."

"But My Load, Drakes used to work against us. They treat humans as their own kind."

Ba'al smiles and says smugly, "All the more reason to make sure McGarrett's kids are safe. It will cause a huge schism between the two races after humans learn that Wyverns can give birth. They'll see them as sinful freaks. We don't even need to fight dragons as Ra did."


	46. Chapter 46

Danny feels his head spinning and then everything goes black. Dimly he hears Steve's horrified voice, but he just can't open his eyes. He tries desperately to hold onto the feeling of Steve's arms wrapped around him, but he's so tempted to be pulled down into the deep darkness. He feels like floating but forces himself to open his eyes. All of a sudden, he finds himself in a world of blue. Somehow he comes to the spirit realm. 

Precious shows up instantly, looking a little surprised. Apparently it doesn't expect to see Danny here. "Danny?"

Danny blinks at Precious with his own baffled expression. "I don't think I can come here freely or be pulled here. What happened? Did you get me here?"

Precious gives him a quick look over, its eyes lingering on his belly for a very brief time. "I didn't summon you here. You came here of your own free will."

"I'm not a pale blue."

"You are not."

Danny has to fight the urge to roll his eyes. He sometimes finds it really frustrating to have a conversation like this. It seems their ancestors like talking in circles. Now he knows from where Tony got his knack of talking without really saying anything. "Pray to elaborate it a little. I'm at a loss right now."

Precious meets his eyes, its face inscrutable. "I'm not at liberty to reveal it to you now. But I can assure you everything is fine and you're gonna find it out very soon."

"Do I have a reason to be here?"

Precious tilts it head slightly. "We should wait for a second. Tony and Blair are gonna be here at any moment."

Danny seems relieved. "They can feel I'm here? They'd better tell Steve I'm fine. He must've been panicking by now since I'm unresponsive."

Precious gives him an almost imperceptible nod. "Bonded couples used to show more intense feelings for each other back then."

*

Tony and Blair appear almost at the same time. 

"Danny!" Blair grabs his hand. "Are you okay?"

"How are you feeling?" Tony asks in a concerned voice. "Blair and I felt something odd and then we noticed that you were on the spirit plane."

Danny shrugs. "Have no idea what's going on."

"Is he alright?" Blair asks Precious instead. "I was told that Danny has been feeling poorly for days. Is that relevant?"

Precious nods seriously. "It is."

After getting everyone's attention, it continues, "When the original group of Wyverns came to the corporal plane, they deemed it was in their offspring's best interest to grant them genetic knowledge. Though the knowledge in one's mind would remain locked until it's eligible for bonding or its gifts reach a certain level."

Precious gives Danny another serious look. "In your case, your empathy and telepathy have been strengthened significantly lately and they've stabilized. So the genetic knowledge in your mind got unlocked gradually. Due to the large amount of it and the limits of your human body, you were feeling poorly. It will ease the pain if you spend more time in dragon form in the near future."

Then it turns its eyes to Blair and Tony. "As for you two, it'll be unlocked after you go through your first mating cycle and your gifts fully develop."

Blair looks thoughtful. "Why do we have to go through heat first?"

"Everything the original group did was to make sure we could raise the children and carry on the bloodlines. They granted their offspring the knowledge with the same intentions as they blessed them with the gifts. When their children, no matter Alphas or Wyverns, when they were young, they needed to practice to sharpen their skills and gifts. After they got old enough, they would get the knowledge they needed. Everyone might get a different kind of knowledge, just like you have different gifts."

Tony asks tentatively, "So this hasn't happened in a very long time until Alrick turned Danny into pure-blooded?"

"Yes. It was designed to serve a purpose. We need to be powerful enough to get the knowledge."

"If we used to have genetic knowledge, why did we lose to humans?"

Precious sighs. "Since all of you now know more or less about so-called alien technology. So answer me this: do you think it possible to build any functional advanced device on earth centuries ago even you knew how to do it?"

They share a look. "They didn't have efficient power sources to supply the energy."

"And I told you before. Drakes were very arrogant. They didn't like Alterans and their technology very much. Though in fact the technology they despised was ours, not Alterans."

Precious continues with no inflection. "One more thing you may need to be informed. We used to communicate telepathically, and it was a Wyvern's duty to build and protect the communication network." It looks at Tony and Blair, it expression serious. "Unlike your abilities as the triad, this kind of network was private, normally only including the Wyvern's mate and offspring, very rarely their close friends. The Wyvern who built it could decide whether or not to accept to connect it with another one, which would allow two families to communicate over vast distance."

"It's quite awesome," Tony says when something in his mind clicks. "But then what's so unique about Daniel's gift?"

"He doesn't need an invitation to connect to a private network," Precious answers, smiling at Tony. "He can reach any Wyvern in any place."

"We did it before, when Danny and Steve were stuck on an Ori warship," Tony says cheerfully. "It was very useful."

Blair listens with half of his mind on some nagging thought. "You said protect. Protect from what?"

"Any intrusion or infiltration into the network." Precious turns its eyes to Danny. "It was like the shield Danny built around him and his mate. It protects both of you from empathic or telepathic attacks from other beings whose powers are not as strong as yours. Surprisingly, even you are under attack from someone who's more powerful than you, you're still capable of detecting it. The worst part of this kind of attack is that the victims have no idea their minds have been messed with."

"Can the rest of us do it?" Blair's voice betrays his excitement.

Precious chuckles. "All Wyverns with strong enough empathy and telepathy can do it. First you need to learn how to put a shield up."

Blair turns to Danny, his eyes glinting. "You know how to do that?"

Danny winces at the memory, his face registered distress. "Not very sure about it, given the fact that I unwittingly tortured Steve for quite a few days after I accidentally blocked our bond and got him stuck on the outside."

Tony and Blair both gasp, clearly aware what kind of pain it may have caused.

Danny closes his eyes, looking extremely pained to reflect on it. "It was like you imagined walls or shields or something and then built them around you and your mate. I don't know. Mine was up automatically and it locked Steve out. It was pretty damaging. Steve got a severe headache for days even after I fixed it."

"You must've felt terrible as well," Blair says sympathetically as Tony claps Danny on the shoulder gently.

"You've no idea," Danny says wistfully. "I don't know how much worse it really was than Steve let on." 

"Those new gifts," Blair hesitates a little as he asks Precious. "They'll develop after we become what - pure-blooded and go in heat? And how can we do it?"

"You should know all dragons back then were pure-blooded. The point was to be eligible to mate and bond." Precious waits for the meaning to sink in. "And as I told you before, you have to trust in your gifts and instincts."

They stare at it wordlessly. 

"Another thing just occurred to me," Tony says suddenly. "Now we get very worried about the possible public reaction to the reproductive nature of Wyverns. It may alienate these two different races."

"Drakes are protectors by nature. Their mates come first, of course, but they also protect their homes and their planet. I don't know if you've already noticed almost all the Alphas are in law enforcement or military. And a small number of them work for the Council." 

The three of them look more confused. "What does this mean?"

"You should figure it out yourselves. Now it's time for you to go back to your mates. They're about to go frantic."

"Wait! One last question!" Danny asks hastily, "how did I come here in the first place?"

Precious gives him a cryptic smile. "All in good time, Danny. Rest assured."


	47. Chapter 47

Startled, Steve reaches out and catches Danny just in time after the Wyvern suddenly turns his body around and rolls off the bed.

"What the hell -" Danny sputters when his face bumps into Steve's solid chest.

"Danny!" Steve chokes with emotions as he gathers Danny into his arms.

Danny rubs his nose and finds himself engulfed in his Alpha's strong hug. "I thought I ran into a wall," Danny complains halfheartedly in an attempt to draw a smile from Steve.

"Danny." Steve tightens his hold and presses his cheek against Danny's hair, trying to get as much contact with his mate as possible. "They told me you were in the spirit realm. But I'm scared. I can't even think straight."

Danny looks up at him with his bleary eyes due to the sudden soreness in his nose. "I didn't mean to worry you, babe. I'm none the wiser as you're as to why I got there in the first place. But at least I know the dizziness I felt will be over pretty soon."

"Okay?" Steve replies without really thinking, his focus on his mate, marveled at how adorable his mate is when he scrunches his nose up with a look of annoyance. Steve has to shake himself out of those thoughts. It's not right to think about Danny this way when he looks irritated. "Let me have a look." Steve pulls Danny's hand down and finds his Wyvern's nose a cute shade of pink. Of course he knows Danny has very sensitive skin when it comes to his face, especially his nose. Even when the Wyvern wipes his nose with the softest tissues, it still causes a problem. 

"It does look like you crashed head-on into a wall," Steve manages to comment casually after he finally finds his calm voice.

"I know you're laughing, Steve. Don't even bother."

"Danno!" With a squeal of delight, Grace bounces towards them and crawls into the bed to snuggle up to her father. 

"Hi, monkey." Danny finds a huge smile spreading across his face as he tucks his daughter under his arm. "What have you done with Kono? Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, we went to cafeteria and grabbed something to eat." Grace returns him a big grin before she gives Steve a curious look. "Dad, why don't you cuddle with us?"

"Yeah, why are you standing there and grinning at us stupidly?" Danny teases, obviously amused by Steve's goofy look. "We have enough room for you, big guy." 

Steve climbs into the bed, feeling the giddy delight. They sit shoulder to shoulder, while Grace leans against Steve's chest, her legs across Danny's lap. 

"Danno, why do you have a tummy?" Grace sounds simply curious, though the men become instantly worried. "Did you eat too many malasadas? That's not healthy, Danno. You should eat more vegetables. You look like those daddies who have a beer belly. But don't worry, it's not obvious. You'll look fine after you cut down on those desserts."

Danny and Steve listen to Grace rambling, not sure how they should feel right now. Amused, of course. Only Grace can make them so happy by merely talking to them.

Danny takes a deep breath to steady himself before he takes her hands and looks at her. "Do you remember that you asked me once about baby dragons?"

"Yes, you told me there are tales, but the truth has been lost to history over the centuries," Grace answers without hesitation.

Danny holds Grace's big eyes. "Now we have ways to have baby dragons."

"Really?" Grace cries out. "That's awesome!" Her brown eyes turn to the tummy she was talking about. "Is there a baby dragon in your belly Danno?"

"Actually, there are two," Steve answers behind her.

Grace whips her head to see if Steve is joking. Her eyes widen with excitement. "Two? Dad you're awesome!"

Steve grins at her like a goof when Danny taps these two people jokingly. The concern they had for so long vanished without trace. "You two! I'm the one who carry these two hellions. Why is it Steve ends up being awesome?"

"Danno!" Grace giggles.

"I am awesome!" Steve repeats unrepentantly, which earns him a mock glare from his mate.

"Are you okay with this?" Danny asks his daughter when he finds her looking like lost in thought.

"More than okay, Danno. I was just thinking." Grace smiles at him as if she knows exactly what Danny is thinking.

"About what?" 

"Whether werewolves can have babies too. I think Stiles makes a cute Omega." 

"Who's that Stiles guy?" Danny asks suspiciously. "And you know there's no such thing as werewolf, right?"

Grace giggles even harder. "Danno! It's a tv series."

"That's a character in a hit drama which is about the lives of some teen werewolves, Danny," Kono's voice comes from the door.

"How do you know that?" Danny queries.

"Come on!" Kono says indignantly, "I just told you it's a hit show. Very popular among kids. Apparently you're too old to know about it."

"I'm not that old!" Danny declares firmly, causing the rest of them to chuckle as one. 

"She was messing with you." Chin enters the room, shaking his head and looking amused. "She knows about it only because she was forced to watch that show with our nieces."

"Hey!" Kono protests. "I never called you out on anything like this!"

Chin smiles dotingly at his cousin before he turns his eyes to the couple. "I take it everything's fine and you told Grace about her little brothers."

"Yes! Danno told me I'm gonna have two dragon brothers, uncle Chin!" Grace's smile, huge and bright, tells them everything they need to know. 

Steve lets out a breath of relief. "You get two dragon brothers, Gracie." He lands a soft kiss on her temple and peers over her head at Danny who smiles back at him, those blue eyes filled with love.

"I really hate to interrupt you two love birds," Chin teases, "but Gibbs wants you to meet him in the large conference room." Before Danny can move, Chin adds hastily, "oh, he meant Steve alone. You don't need to move, Danny. Dr. Cummings said you should rest a little more since the boys are getting bigger."

"You should listen to the doctor, Danno!" Grace says in a serious voice, and Steve nods his agreement enthusiastically. 

He puts Grace on Danny's lap and tells her in all seriousness, "I'll be back asap. Now you're in charge of Danno and your brothers. Don't let Danno do stupid things. Okay?"

"'K!" Grace answers, looking determined, as if she's just been given the most important task in the world, which, to both of Steve and her, is very true.

"Why does Gibbs need you alone?" Danny asks, worried a little, as he wraps his arm around Grace and lets her settle into a comfortable position.

"Did I get you into trouble dad?" Grace gets concerned again.

"No, your dad is not in any trouble," Chin assures her. "Some guy called Ba'al came here and asked to meet with your dad. Gibbs will be there with him too. Don't worry Grace. You just take care of your Danno while Kono and I take care of the two of you. Let's do something fun and your dad will be back before we notice it."


	48. Chapter 48

After having a short talk with Gibbs, Steve walks into the conference room alone. Apparently Ba'al made it clear that he wants to have a private chat with him. And for some unknown reasons, Steve is stressed and on high alert when he catches the ghost of a smile on Ba'al's face in a room where they actually only have the illusion of privacy. He's not sure how well Ba'al knows about his race and whether the Goa'uld notices that there's no white or brown noise generator running to prevent other Alphas on base from listening in.

"Hey! Don't be so tense," Ba'al says, his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I mean no harm. Actually, I bring you a gift as a token of good intent."

Steve narrows hie eyes. What a way to cut the crap.

"Here." Ba'al tosses something to the Alpha.

Steve catches it in one swift motion. "What's this?" Steve casts a quick glance at the object.

"A flash drive?"

Steve turns his eyes back to Ba'al, his face expressionless. "Do you want to be kicked out?"

"Okay, no kidding anymore," Ba'al sounds disappointed somehow. "You're no fun. Wonder why Danny finds you attractive."

Steve's eyes turn cold. "You do know a lot. Danny's not here. Save the flirting for someone else."

Ba'al chuckles. "You mean I can flirt if Danny were here?" Meeting Steve's steely glare, he shrugs dramatically. "For a second, I thought your eyes might be glowing as our people do," He jokes, trying to get a response from Steve, but more than anyone else, Ba'al knows a lost battle when he sees one. 

"Get to the point right now," Ba'al's voice lost all its slyness. "To make a long story short, your mom came to me one day, in the hopes that she could convince me to close a deal with her. I don't know what's going on with you and your mom. But since I met you before and I did something not too polite last time, and more importantly, I hate that guy who put her in touch with me, I decided to record the meeting."

Steve's surprised slightly at the bitterness in Ba'al's voice and a lot at this unexpected turn of events. Though his expression gives away nothing, alarm bells are ringing loudly within Steve. With the involvement of Doris, it's got to be nasty. "Go on. I'm listening."

"You should listen to that damn thing. I'm not going anywhere near this mess and I sincerely hate the idea of being used." 

"I'll listen to it later. How about you telling me first?"

Ba'al snorts indignantly. "Fine. Your mom somehow finds me adequate to a job involving the murder of an elite Alpha's bonded. My lifespan is nearly endless. I'd be insane to do something that would get me killed because of a Beta's insatiable appetite for power."

Steve's face gets clouded. "Why did you come here and tell me? Is it better to keep it a secret?"

Ba'al swivels his chair in a haughty manner. "I don't want to make an enemy when my business is thriving."

Steve lifts an eyebrow at him, but refrains himself from saying a word.

"Come on!" Ba'al exclaims, drumming his fingers on the table between them. "Let's face it. It's not what you're thinking it is. Do I have to face the criminal charges even I did nothing wrong since I was created? Don't forget it hasn't been very long. I haven't killed one person. At least not one single intelligent sentient being." 

Steve makes a disbelieving sound. "If I remember correctly, you said you wanna rebuild your empire."

"I didn't say that," Ba'al states firmly. "The real one said it. I'd rather build my business empire."

"Sometimes I find you very interesting," Steve comments dryly. "What kind of business is it and what do you want from me? If you're a businessman as you frequently claim to be, you gotta want something in return."

"Ha!" Ba'al snorts. "Just listen to it. I don't expect you to return the favor. Actually, I might have decided to leave this crowded galaxy."

"Seriously?" This time Steve gets really confused, totally at a loss as to how to respond to this. He doesn't know much about Ba'al, but in his opinion Ba'al is not some guy who'd give up on reconquering a planet so easily.

"So long as I can get those Seniors to cooperate." Ba'al says bitterly.

"Huh, just go back a little. What kind of business are you in?" 

"Consulting."

"What do you really want from me?"

Ba'al's demeanor changes slightly. "So many people just underestimate you, believing that you're no better than a well-trained soldier who knows nothing other than following the orders. Have they really given no thought to the fact that you worked in the Naval Intelligence where no one would tolerate a fool? That you've led a team into a war zone and brought them back multiple times?"

"See, this is much better," Steve states evenly. "You have information on me."

*

Steve manages to make it to Gibbs' office without being overwhelmed by his feeling of betrayal. 

Gibbs is waiting for him since they had agreed that Gibbs would keep an ear out for them just in case and therefore the older Alpha has heard the whole conversation. "Do you want me to ask Abby to analyze it to determine if it was fabricated?"

Steve nod numbly and hands it to Gibbs without protest. It seems what Ba'al told him have thrown the younger Alpha for a loop, even he's always had a very low opinion of her after she abandoned her family. He looks lost and bewildered and Gibbs understands. Gibbs has witnessed those internal struggles Tony has undergone when the Wyvern came to grips with the fact that his parent, the one who should love him unconditionally, betrayed him and hurt him worse than anyone else did.

"Do you need to listen to it first?" Gibbs asks patiently. "I can make a copy and email it to you."

"Okay, I'll check it out after Danny falls asleep."

Gibbs' face draws into a frown, but decides against saying anything. He's never been good at dealing with this kind of things. It's Tony who's able to comfort people or put a troubled mind at ease.

"What do we do about Ba'al?" Steve changes the topic abruptly. "Let him go?"

"He was right. We have no probable cause to hold him here. Don't bother yourself with this. He's Jack's mess to deal with. If they end Adria's threat for good this time, you and your team might have a chance to go home with Grace. Tony mentioned that Danny wants to go home before -"

"That's the problem," Steve interrupts decidedly, his face growing dark. "I need to do some serious thinking about it. I don't know if it's safe for Danny to go home and... Now we have the unborn kids to think about as well. Danny and them are all at risk right now." 

"We have some high-security hospitals specialized in dragon physiology. Very few of people know about them. One's in Hawaii. Just let's hear from Abby and get the result first."

*

"Come here, babe."

The moment Steve is in their room, Danny pulls him into a hug, holding him close.

"Where's Gracie?" Steve mutters against Danny's head, his arms tentatively wrapped around his mate's body. He has been worried that he might not be able to keep a sunny face in front of all his ohana, especially his mate, since Danny can tell how he feels anyway. And he's definitely not in the mood to be sociable.

"She's with Kono. I thought you might need me." Danny's voice is soothing and he runs his hands up and down his mate's tense muscles.

Steve heaves a sigh of relief. "I was afraid you would press it and ask me to talk, but I don't know how to tell you."

"It's alright. You don't need to say anything now, but when you are ready and want to tell someone, I'm always here."

"How's Grace? She had a rough day. I don't want to rob her of her time with you."

Danny pulls away a little to cup his Alpha's perfect face in his hands, his fond eyes fixed on Steve's. He feels lucky and grateful everyday and especially so every time when Steve shows his unconditional love for his daughter and himself. He's never doubted that Steve's gonna be a great father despite his own diffidence. "Babe, she's fine. And I know you need me more."

Before his mate can argue, Danny puts a finger over Steve's lips. "She's fine and happy. She talked with Rachel. Tony came not long after you left. They've talked with LEOs and Rachel, telling them that the kidnappers took Grace away from the island and we managed to save her. The suspects have been taken into custody by the Alphas stationed at Peal. So everyone got a satisfactory answer as to why Grace's with us now. And we have the suspects to interrogate if we want. Even more surprisingly, Rachel has no issues with Grace staying with us for a few more days. I don't know how Tony made that happen. He was very evasive about that. Now can we focus on what you need?"

Steve gives him a tired but genuine smile. "As long as I have you, I don't need anything or anyone else."

"Smooth," Danny teases, his lips quirking up into a smile. "Tell me what you did to win such a nickname."


	49. Chapter 49

"My Lord. As you predicted, after he heard that McGarrett'd got the goods on his mom, he tipped off Doris about that. What else do you need us to do?"

"Why don't we put it to good use when we have the best data mining company?" Ba'al muses out. "Get every piece of crucial information on Doris and send them to McGarrett. Especially those incriminating her in the attempted abduction of Danny's daughter. Oh, and the proof that she blatantly grooms a mentally disabled Beta as Steve's mate. I'd have such a blast if I have a chance to watch this drama play out. I almost feel bad for him. Wish I could see his face when Doris insists that he must mate with that Beta."

"Anything else, my Lord?"

Dropping the amused note in his voice, Ba'al tells his servant in all seriousness. "Keep them busy when we're away in search of a queen. And don't forget to get the word out to everyone: don't let her actually hurt the unborn babies. We kinda really count on them being healthy and strong."

"But it was not McGarrett who was after us."

"After their species started breeding with humans on earth, their abilities have been diluted significantly. The twins are gonna be the first ones born to an alpha couple. Those ranking Alphas' attention will be focused on them. And as a result to cut us some slack. I don't want them to notice too soon that we might find a queen."

*

Steve didn't think it possible to feel safe and secure again so quickly after being overwhelmed with his feeling of betrayal. But he's got there. He knows what it feels like when nothing else matters as long as he has his mate in his arms. And Danny understands him. From day one, he's known when to push Steve's buttons or insist that the Alpha talk to him and when to back off to give Steve time and space to lick his wounds alone. More amazingly, Steve finds he doesn't need to hide from the world to heal his wounds, no matter physical or emotional ones, and he doesn't have to drown in anger and self-pity. He can get it all together and get ahead, because he has his mate and he knows for sure Danny's gonna support him and have his back no matter what. He's not alone in the world. He doesn't face it by himself anymore. 

And it's definitely not something to be embarrassed to admit that it makes him feel so good when he just lies next to Danny and simply enjoys his Wyvern's weight and warmth. It feels like having the anchor of hope.

"I was thinking," Danny mumbles in his ear, "that we haven't flied a long distance before. It must feel very different. I can even imagine back in the days they used to fly all the time."

Steve snuggles close and keeps using Danny as a pillow, his head tucked under Danny's chin. 

"What did you just say?" Danny scratches at his Alpha's scalp, drawing the most sinful noises from Steve. "What? Stop drooling on me."

Steve raises his head and beams happily at Danny, looking right into those blue eyes. "I said they probably flied between the continents."

"That's it!" Danny's eyes glint with excitement. "We should do that some day!"

"And get shot down as some unidentified objects."

Danny swats at Steve's hip in mock annoyance. "I'd say we should try it on some deserted planet before we go back to our normal lives."

"What kind of normal lives are you talking about?" Steve pulls himself upwards and props himself on his elbows beside each side of Danny's head. He sprawls half on top of Danny's body, mindful of his belly and smiles suggestively at his mate.

"We're talking about flying, right?" Danny squints at his goofy mate. "Why are you smiling like this?"

"I'd like to know what I'll get in return if I make your wish come true," Steve replies naughtily as he begins nibbling Danny's lips. 

"Stop, Steven," Danny gasps. "If you want an answer, at least let me be able to think straight."

"Uh huh." Steve keeps himself busy licking at Danny's throat scales, causing the Wyvern to whimper and writhe helplessly underneath him. 

Being saturated with love, Danny can also feel the unmistakable lust and desire of Steve's through their bond. The feedback makes him ten times more sensitive to the teasing touches of his Alpha's. It feels like experiencing pleasure for both of them, making him horny tenfold. And the hard erection poking against his belly only attests to what he feels through their empathetic connection.

Steve carefully flips him to his side and pulls him back against the Alpha's solid chest as he gently yet torturously teases Danny's spine scales, his big hands moving soothing circles across the Wyvern's belly under his shirt. Surprisingly, it's sensual as well as comforting. Danny feels his mate's hard-on pressed snugly between his ass cheeks, and then Steve starts rolling his hips, worrying at the nape of his neck at the same time.

"Hm, babe," Danny can't help but whimper.

"Love you so much," Steve whispers against his neck, his hot breath tickling the Wyvern's over sensitive skin, drawing more gasps and broken groans from Danny. "You told me we won't have much time to enjoy our healthy sex life after they're born." 

Danny gasps in short shallow breaths. "They'll need to be fed, to be tended to, and to be cared for. All kinds of time consuming tasks." 

Steve grins as he slides his hand down and puts it on Danny's belly. "I don't think the little ones would interrupt us when we have some adult time. Right, my boys?"

*

Night descents as the silvery moonlight falls through the windows and onto the desk Steve's at right now. The only other source of light is the laptop's screen in front of him. Everything in the world seems still and peaceful at the moment, though Steve's face is clouded, brows furrowing, as he listens intently to something through the ear buds. He doesn't even know what to make of this, if what he heard by now is real. 

Steve lifts his eyes up to his mate who's sleeping peacefully in their bed, blissed out and sated. His tummy, as what Grace calls it, is more obvious. And Steve gets to be more careful around him, even more so when he makes love to his Wyvern, since he finds Danny unbelievably appealing and arousing these days with the knowledge that two lives are growing inside him, which gets him incredibly hot for his mate. It fascinates Steve to no end, knowing that they created lives together and they are half of him combining with half of Danny.

And now someone wants to take all these away from him. All his happiness. How can he even tolerate this sort of behaviors?

He considers his options. Maybe he should take Gibbs up on his offer after all. It's not about power or position in society. If taking up the mantle as Alpha Prime for Hawaii (aka Pacific area) can give him more leeway to protect his mate and family, he can make do with the responsibilities that comes with that position. After all, it's not a very big territory. 

But he can imagine what Danny would say. "Steve! How on earth did they let you loose on the great Oahu? Did they intend to sink those islands?" And in his mind's eye, Danny is flailing his arms as he rants on about the bleak future of those poor men and women on these rocks.

Steve smiles to himself as his mind drifts a little further.

He needs to discuss the options for hospitals with Danny and choose a safe place before his mate goes into labor. But he's not even sure whether their house is safe enough for their future new borns. Maybe he should send someone there to secure their place.

Despite the common knowledge, he does have some Betas besides Freddie who remain loyal to him and a few were even willing to follow him to Hawaii after he transferred to the Reserve. 

He brought the mated couple (male Betas and his former teammates, in fact) along with Kono and Chin to Colorado when Jack O'Neill and his Wyvern were supposed to stay on earth and therefore they needed a new team who had been trained and capable of carrying on missions in some extremely hostile areas. (See, he's became considerably thoughtful after he bonded to Danny, for he knows how miserable a dragon will be when they are forced to separate from their mate.) 

Speaking of the mated couple, it was a surprise to him as well. Even dragons are more openminded than humans when it comes to homosexuality, it's still not that common for two teammates to become a couple after they adjust to the civilian life. So when they shyly admitted to them at the party held at Steve's place after their bond that they had been mated for a while, Steve was totally at a loss for words and it was Danny who shook their hands (much to Steve's displeasure) to congratulate them and reassured them that Steve was happy for them and the Alpha simply got stupid once for a while, which made the Betas/his former team members chuckle heartily, and even Tony who overheard them smile at him.

Other than these two, he still has two trustworthy Betas back at home. And without doubt, he trusts them even more than he does those Alphas at Pearl. Maybe it's not a bad idea to be an Alpha Prime as he thought it would be. Okay this is another thing he needs to talk about with Danny.


	50. Chapter 50

It turns out Daniel Jackson and his Alpha did manage to end Adria's threat for good this time. With hindsight, Danny and Steve should've realized that meant more Wyverns could go into mating cycles and having babies with their mates, which would take away the uniqueness of their situation and thus make it possible for them to escape from the spotlight that otherwise must be on them. But back at that time, all Danny and Steve could think about was the practicalities. After all, with Adria trapped in an eternal duel with an Ancient, their temporary transfer should come to an end pretty soon. 

But nothing with them is ever easy. Their another archenemy, sometime ally, Ba'al seems to have vanished without a trace after he sent Steve more pieces of information. Disturbing information to say the least. So now besides the practicalities, they have to worry about the safety of their daughter and unborn sons. 

If he's honest with himself, Steve has to admit that he was quite afraid to see the disgusted look on Danny's face when he tells his mate what his mom has done in the name of doing it for Steve's own good, or to hear Danny tell him that he doesn't want anything to do with Steve and his family and definitely doesn't want his sons to be members of this kind of family. He feared that Danny would leave him and take their sons away with him after the Wyvern finds out what a horrible person his mom is and how dysfunctional his family was. But his Danny, being the caring and loving partner he's always been, seems more distressed at the thought that Steve was hurt again by someone who's supposed to be willing to give this tough Alpha anything at any cost. 

Steve lets out the breath he was holding when Danny, without hesitation, cups his face in a way that makes his heart flutter and himself feel cherished, like he's something precious, someone good enough for Danny - such an amazing man - to love this much. 

"So, I guess we need to make a plan," Danny says with a wink at him. "And lucky for me, that's my mate's forte."

Steve's struck speechless for a second, amazed at the way Danny smooths over his anger, his insecurity and his fear with such ease and confidence, but he can't help but grin back at his Wyvern when he catches the endearing crinkles at the edges of his enchanting blue eyes. "I'm the lucky one, Danny. You make me the luckiest guy in the universe."

"Sweet talker indeed," Danny snorts, though his eyes are as fond as ever, locked on Steve's, telegraphing his true love for his Alpha.

"I was afraid you would leave me--"

"Steve!" Danny cuts him off decidedly. "I'd never leave you, you should have known that!"

"I know that, but I--"

"Feel guilty?" Danny asks in disbelief, his brow lifted. 

Steve drops his eyes to the ground, then raises them to hold Danny's gaze. "I guess so," he mutters.

"Somehow after all these years we've spent together, I still can't fully understand how your warped mind works." Danny throws up both his hands in exasperation, his face red and eyes intense. "Did you hear what you just said? Why on earth do you feel guilty for something other people did? Is that because you're related by blood, so you have to be held responsible for her actions? Steve, if in your crazy mind you feel you need to be answerable for something, well, I have some better choice for you goof. You're accountable for our wellbeing. Your children's and mine. Since our happiness is contingent upon your own happiness, you gotta find a way to pull yourself together. Hmmm, and remain safe in the meanwhile." Danny's face turns into another suspiciously adorable shade of red as he goes on, "I mean don't get yourself killed. I don't want to be a single parent and I kinda wish we'd have a second honeymoon after the boys grow up and leave the nest."

"Okay, I can do that," Steve sputters, seeming a little taken aback by the sudden outburst from his Wyvern, but as the full weight of Danny's words sinks into his mind, the tough Alpha finds himself smiling helplessly at his mate, as giddy as he was when Danny told him for the first time that he was willing to spend his life with him.

Smiling, Danny pecks a soft kiss on his mate's lips. "What do we need to do now?" Then he leers at his lean, tall, irresistibly charming Alpha while he sticks out the tip of his tongue and wets his lips. "Do you think Catherine still has a crush on you? Fantasizing about - hmmm, you? After all, you're sex on legs."

Steve groans and shifts uneasily. "Danny--" He reaches for his Wyvern and buries his nose in the soft blond hair, letting himself be lost in that incredible scent. Steve closes his eyes for a while, reveling in the feeling of Danny's warm body. "I'll turn this over to Gibbs. It's not in our jurisdiction to deal with a rogue Beta. Maybe two." Steve hesitates with a pained look. "Maybe the last mind probe and the suggestions implanted in Catherine's mind by Adria have finally done her in and she's beyond redemption." 

Danny leans into him and grips Steve's hand hard. "I wish we could just go face them," Danny sighs and his voice betrays his concern for Steve and their children. "But we have the boys to think about first now. We can't simply go on a rampage because someone tries everything they can to make our life unpleasant. Maybe in another alternate world, I would do some crazy things without really thinking about the consequences, without reflecting on what would become of our kids if anything goes wrong. But I'm damn sure that if I do something ridiculously reckless, I do it for you."

"I'm touched, really," Steve mutters, his big hand encircling Danny's, "though it sounds sad and weird. You're the rational one who reins me in whenever I need it." 

"Funny thing is I did dream once that I had to land a plane to save your ass," Danny says sadly. "But it didn't end well."

"You don't know how to fly planes," Steve sounds concerned.

"That's the point," Danny says as he squeezes Steve's fingers. "I didn't think in that dream. I didn't care about the consequences. I seemed to have forgotten I had kids I needed to take care of and they depended on me living. All I could think about was I had to save you and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you."

"Danny," Steve's voice is choked with emotions. "I'm relieved it was only a dream. I will never let it happen if I can help it. You and the kids are my priorities. I can't stand seeing you in danger, let alone putting you in jeopardy."

"I know babe. It was a stupid dream." Danny pauses for a while and stares straight into Steve's hazel eyes. "You know the saddest part of the dream? You smacked me down in front of everyone and blamed me for everything."

Steve looks appalled. "That was really an asshole. Are you sure you dreamed of me, not some jerk?"

"Do you think there's another living soul with the power to make me do all kinds of things willingly?" 

"I'm flattered that I'm the only one you love so much that you're willing to compromise to this point, but it makes me feel sick to even think about it. I forbid you to ever have that kind of dreams again."

"Really Steve?" Danny lets out a laugh, his lips quirking in disbelief. "You forbid me to have a certain kind of dreams? Pray tell me how can you do that?"

"I don't care," Steve answers with a pout. "I don't like you being sad and hate it when you have a dream in which I'm a jerk who doesn't deserve you."

Danny pinches Steve's cheek and laughs softly. "Babe, stop pouting. This is too cute and distracting. I can't handle it. Damn it. I can't even think straight when you're giving me these puppy eyes and sad face. What were we talking about in the beginning? The conversation got off the point."

"I said I don't care," Steve mumbles unrepentantly. "I only want to hold you in my arms right now."

"Don't be silly. Your sons would probably laugh at you."

Steve pulls Danny even closer, holding him tight. "I have a bad feeling that they're gonna try to steal you from me and take up all your time."

"You're not jealous of your unborn sons, are you?"

The big Alpha seems to give it some serious thought before he answers, "I don't know. Do I need to worry about the possibility that my mate might give his full attention to our sons and therefore neglect his gorgeous Alpha?"

"Did you just call yourself gorgeous?" Danny's amused, feeling the tension in his body eased by Steve's bright smile.

"Yup, and what we need to do now is sticking together," Steve says as he gives Danny a serious look. "And don't even think about disappearing from my view."

"Got it. You're the boss, Commander Badass."


	51. Chapter 51

It seems that things have never gone as planned. Danny swears up and down that they must have been cursed by someone on high. Steve bites his lips tactfully to stop himself from saying anything and refuses to fall into the trap which only leads to Danny's ranting. And his hard-won conjugal rights will definitely be withheld if he gets Danny pissed off. To be honest, with Danny's hormones flying high, Steve's been walking on thin ice for a while. The last thing he needs is to accidentally ignite Danny's anger. A happy Danny is the adorable Danny, the one Steve finds extremely squishy - huggable and grope-able.

However, the thing is that Danny has every right to be grumpy this time for they're basically trapped in Colorado right now. And why? Because of the leak of some information about the new reproductive nature of the Wyverns which was supposed to be classified. And the public doesn't take it very well. They practically go panicking at the news.

Since Danny's still the only one carrying babies, they're in a very delicate situation now. Even the Council has already gone to great lengths to keep their names under wraps, nobody likes to take any chance at the moment. So they're trapped on a secret base under the protection of three elite Alphas who have spent their whole lifetimes in military service. And even Gibbs and Tony have postponed their returning to DC in favor of staying close to them. And maybe keeping a watchful eye on them as well.

If they look on the bright side of it, well, there might be one good news. The pretext Doris has been using for her attempts at disposing of Danny as if they were for Steve's own good is that Steve can't have his own kids with a man, even this said man is his mate and an Omega. Since the whole world now knows an alpha couple can have their biological children, it'd be ridiculous if Doris has no inkling of it. After all she was an operative who lived on information. Judging from the way she drops off the grid completely, Steve assumes she got the message that Steve's gonna start a family with Danny.

But he's afraid she only holes up to bide her time. Now that her lame excuse to justify her actions doesn't sound valid even to herself, she's gonna need some time to spin a new story.

It makes tracking her down and thwarting her even harder when they're confined to a military base. Not that he's ever gonna leave Danny alone to go after her or them. But it's like a looming threat which gets him worried and on the alert all the time, for fear he'd have no warning of the next strike.

Steve sighs. He can't comprehend why she wants people to jump to attention at the mere mention of her name. To him having a family with Danny and spending the rest of their lives together make everything else pale in comparison. He only hopes that he can force her hand before they go home.

But right now they get stuck on a military base along with Grace.

It's not the first time that Steve feels grateful for the fact that Grace is such a resilient and sanguine little girl that she brings smiles to Danny's face even when he's at his most snappish. She doesn't complain and makes the most of it when she's surrounded by a bunch of crack dragons.

The boys, in contrast, are no help at all. Sometimes Steve wonders if they intend to start messing with him before they come to this world, or they simply respond to Danny's vexation.

That's why he's not surprised in the slightest one day after Danny's spent an hour looking out the window with a sad expression, he turns around and asks Steve pitifully, "Do you think we can seek refuge in flying on another planet? The boys are restless. Maybe they need some fresh air like I do."

Steve raises his brow and finds a smile tugging at his lips. "For a moment I almost thought you meant to relocate us to another planet."

Danny snorts with a roll of his eyes.

"But if you mean having some fun and flying, maybe I can convince them to let us tag along the next time when Jack and his team go to another planet to survey a ruin or to get some samples of Nagada."

"You'll do that for me?" Danny's eyes take on the sparkle Steve's so familiar with by now, the one which makes Steve want to give him everything.

"Of course. I'll do anything for you, Danny." Steve cups the nape of Danny's neck and leans down to steal a kiss.

*

Dragons don't purr. They roar or rumble. But Steve's sure dragon Danny just made a contented sound which is suspiciously like a purr.

Steve smiles to himself.

All he wants to do now is to find a place with wonderful views and laze around with Danny. They'll have a nap and he's gonna curl himself around Danny despite Danny's protests. Yeah, he's gonna rest his head on Danny's belly and listen to the little ones' strong heartbeats. There's nothing Danny can say to him that would change his mind.

They have three days to themselves before they have to go back to the gate and meet with Jack and his team. He's gonna make the best of the few days.

They've been flying for a while, before Steve is starting to worry Danny might overdo it and strain himself when a mountain bounces into view. The mountaintop is a perfect place to take a rest, from where they can overlook the sea. And beyond the sea is the clear sky, melting softly from the blue of sapphire to a rose haze with the reflection of the sunlight.

Steve calls his mate telepathically before he lands on the ground, waiting for Danny to join him. The smaller Wyvern glides with the sinuous grace and lands next to his mate who's radiating happiness.

Danny swaggers forward and nudges his Alpha with his snout, only to cause Steve to nudge back and rub his cheek against Danny's enthusiastically. Letting out a deep rumble of contentment and pleasure, Steve drops onto his belly and edges closer, ready to curl around Danny the moment he rolls around and brings his belly to the large Alpha.

Danny rolls his eyes, or what looks like rolling his blue eyes at his mate, but nonetheless turns his body around to snuggle against the Alpha, his tail reaching for Steve's.

The contrast of Danny's glistening teal scales and Steve's matte blue band around the Wyvern's neck is nothing short of mesmerizing. Steve stares at the ethereal beauty, entranced, until he can't resist the urge to explore Danny's throat scales anymore, causing Danny to keen softly and make some serious sinful noises.

When Steve's busy eliciting more pornographic sounds from his mate, licking and nuzzling at Danny's sensitive scales, the darkness falls suddenly and very quickly. They looks up in confusion only to find the daylight almost gone. The couple exchange a glance and get to their feet. It's weird and unnatural, for it's only mid day and there's no cloud floating across the sun.

A whoosh somewhere nearby puts them on the defensive instantly. They turn around to take in the surroundings. Suddenly the ground starts shaking and a gigantic dragon-like creature with three heads rushes towards them, hissing and snapping at them.

Both Steve and Danny get really startled by the size of it and freeze for a second. Then they realize (much to their horror) that it's a great runner and find it almost in front of them, snapping its jaws, snarling and huffing out hot breath, before they have enough time to recover from the initial shock.

 _Are we trespassing on its territory? What's it?_ Danny shouts out frantically.

_Dunno. But it looks like a Draco Hydra._

They break apart, take flight and soar into the air to avoid the flames aimed at them. All three of the huge heads are breathing fire right now.

 _Damnit!_ Steve cries out. _It's not a Hydra. Hydra can't fly._

Danny turns his head only to find the ugly creature flying and charging at Steve, who looks small to Danny for the first time in comparison with their attacker.

It's gargantuan but still very fast. There's no clumsiness of its flying technique and it practically puts them at a disadvantage, given their physical differences. Even worse, Steve seems to be within range of its attack at any moment. Danny feels his heart racing; it feels like about to hammer out of his chest. Without thinking, he veers towards it, hissing and growling with every intention of lightning it on fire.

He's faster than Steve. He can distract it to give Steve more time to fly away. Maybe he can do some real harm to it. He concentrates, letting a huge ball of flame form before he breathes fire on its body.

The dragon-like creature growls in pain and stops chasing Steve, its tail thrashing and wings flapping furiously. Then without pausing it lashes the spiked tail at Danny.

Steve, with a roar of rage, swoops down in a desperate attempt to get to Danny in time. But everything is happening too fast. And Danny's too close to the creature to be able to avoid getting whipped. But for Steve, it's like everything unfolds in slow motion.

He watches in horror, his heart in his throat, as Danny gets hit on his body and with a guttural groan of pain he drops to the ground. The shiny Wyvern hits the surface and lies still on the rocky ground. He doesn't shift back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to dragonology on Wikia, the Hydra(Draco hydra.) has at least three heads and useless residual wings. They're known for their cannibalism.


	52. Chapter 52

Danny wakes up slowly. Before he can open his eyes, he knows that he's lying on something soft and comfortable, definitely not the hard rocky ground he dropped onto. He can also hear the low buzzing sounds of something, maybe machine(s), and the hushed tones in which some guys are talking. One of them is Steve, though with his fuzzy mind he can't make out what he's saying. When he tries to open his eyes to look into those bright hazel eyes, he finds his eyelids heavy, like they're glued together. His lashes flutter. He tries harder a few more times. Finally, Danny, with all his willpower, craps open his eyes and wakes to his favorite scene - Steve's face. Then he registers an amalgam of emotion on his Alpha's face: relief, concern and elation. And maybe the vestige of trepidation.

"Baby you're awake," Steve's voice is soft, choked a little, and Danny senses the tiredness in it. The Wyvern shifts tentatively, reaching for his mate who takes his hand at once. The rest of the world seems to disappear completely as they stare at each other, grinning stupidly like under a spell.

Then the spell is broken and someone sticks his face into the picture.

Danny turns his head around a little to have a better look at the intruder and finds himself staring right into a pair of crystal green eyes.

A man, looking like in his early twenties, stands besides the bed he's lying on. "How do you feel?" He asks while fiddling with some kind of tablet in his hands, swiping his finger across the screen.

"I'm fine," Danny says, looking around to take in everything in the room before his eyes are drawn back to the stranger, who seems very serious and quiet, but with his raven curly hair, fine features and tall, slim figure, he's a young fair lad.

"I expect so," the young man says. "Your vital signs are getting better and your babies are fine." He holds out the gadget to show it to the couple after he calls up some ultrasound images on the screen. "See. Their heartbeats are strong."

Danny stares at the scree, his hands on his baby bump subconsciously, while Steve covers his hand with his bigger one and grins at Danny's belly. "Uhh, thank you," Danny says as he tears his eyes off of the screen to look at the man with appreciation. "May I have your name?"

"Loki."

"Loki?" Danny's expression turns into shock as he all but screams. "That Loki? As in The Avengers?"

The fair lad sighs deeply and Steve beats him to it, "That Loki. The one and only. And he saved us."

"You slain a Hydra?" Danny's voice raises in pitch, higher than the manly tone he usually uses and Steve barely contains a laugh before his mate glares at him.

"Haven't you seen me? Do you think I can face a creature of that size?" Loki' voice is dripping with sarcasm as he holds up his thin arms to make a point. "No, I didn't slay it. I transported you guys. And it's not a hydra, if I may say."

Steve and Danny speak at the same time, though Steve's inquiry about the creature is drowned out by Danny's squeak of surprise.

"You're a magician?" Danny is not screaming at all. (If anyone's ever gonna bring this up in future, he'll firmly deny he's screamed.)

Steve, on the other hand, is wondering what Loki knows about their attacker. He steals a glance at his emotional mate and decides to file it away for the time being. Right now watching his mate spluttering with the tone of someone whose brain has a hard time catching up with his mouth is more soothing than amusing. It reminds him that his Wyvern's alive and quite energetic. It lightens his heart after those torturous hours during which he was sitting beside Danny, feeling the pang of worry.

Loki gives a sigh of resignation. "I believe you've read too many crap myths. Sometimes I find human imagination just too wild. If you don't mind, let me introduce myself properly. I'm Loki of Asgard, a scientist, not the god of mischief or chaos. And Thor is not my brother. I transported you with the help of a device, not magic."

"Okay," Danny mutters, unconvinced and maybe a little disappointed, as he takes the offered hand and shakes it. "I'm Danny Williams. He's my bonded mate, Steve McGarrett. I guess you already know. Thank you for saving us. But how is this even possible? I heard that all Asgardians were dead. They committed mass suicide."

"Yeah, that was the worst decision our beloved Supreme Commander Thor had ever made," Loki grits out. The bitterness in his tone tells the couple that in this reality those two Asgardians haven't been on good terms as well. "Anyway, before that, I made a clone and let him leave or I should say the other Loki created a clone and sent him away before they took their lives."

"But this doesn't explain the change in your appearance. I thought you were," Danny's voice trails off as he waves his hands in a gesture which Steve interprets as not looking like a human. "You didn't experiment on humans again, did you?" Danny tilts his head and studies Loki's face carefully.

Loki actually chuckles. "Patience, young man."

Danny makes a face at this. It's a weird experience to be referred to as a young man by someone who looks at least ten years his junior.

"Even I'm not a god, I'm still way older than you," Loki states, as if he knows exactly what Danny is thinking. "As to your question, I didn't experiment on humans. I did it on myself."

"That doesn't relieve my concerns at all," Danny mumbles and tries to look annoyed as he slaps Steve's hands away when his Alpha gets handsy and starts caressing his bared skin. He's having a serious discussion about human testing with the notorious scientist who has been known for his less scrupulous methods and his goofy mate shows no interest in it and prefers to fuss over him.

"Okay then, where shall we begin?" Loki sounds like a teacher facing the ignorant students. "The dragon-like creature or my looks?"

Despite being slightly annoyed at the thought of being seen as someone lacking knowledge, Danny gives the questions careful consideration, before he finally decides, "Your appearance, if you don't mind. You look different."

"This is what I used to look like before the ineluctable genetic deterioration in our race."

Danny seems surprised a little at this and looks the alien over curiously. "You found a cure? No, it's not just a cure to solve your physical degradation. You actually have the body you once had. How did you manage to do that?"

Loki is unable mask the amazed look on his face. He didn't expect a man living on an underdeveloped planet to catch up. "I don't know if I can make you get to grips with the process."

"I'll try to keep up with you," Danny say in an upbeat voice. Although he's nervous and not sure that he can follow this alien scientist, he tries not to show it. "I'm not a science person, but this still looks impossible to me. I mean how could you create a body like this? This isn't one that has been weakened by constant cloning. It's like you reversed the damage. And I suppose when you clone a person, the clone and the template are exactly the same."

"That's not true." Loki presses his lips into a thin line, his brow knitted. "Although in theory, their genetic information should be identical. But the problem is every subsequent one becomes less and less precise. Every change is minute, but after countless times later, the difference will be significant."

Danny nods in response.

"I'll spare you the technicalities. The bare bones of the idea is to add some other race's DNA to our genetic structure in an attempt to increase our regenerative abilities."

"Other species?" Danny sounds extremely alarmed.

Loki ignores him and goes on with his story. "In fact it had never occurred to me until I stumbled upon some secret lab and found that someone had gotten obsessed with the idea of creating a new army."

Frowning, Steve stops fiddling with Danny's hand, clearly getting worried, as his mate looks at Loki suspiciously. Neither of them says a word though, for fear that their interruption would clam him up. Though both of them have the same bad feeling that it has something to do with them. And those feelings are usually spot on which is why the bonded couple have an inside joke about being cursed.

"You know I once believed General O'Neill's DNA was the key to solving the problems. I even cloned him. Thor found out and got pissed off, despite the fact that he had ordered other scientists to do the same thing. And I was the one doing some evil non-sanctioned experiments."

Danny grimaces slightly at the reveal, which brings his thoughts back to the first time when Daniel told him about this encounter. He was stunned and a little bit sad to know a race with a glorious history had to resort to this kind of desperate measures.

Then Loki's next words catch his attention.

"Of course it would never work even Thor didn't stop me."

"Why?" Steve sounds genuinely intrigued by now. To all appearances, Loki must've done something right to look like the old Loki again.

"I scanned his DNA and did genetic research on him." Loki casts him an impatient look, then asks, "You didn't heal as fast as you do now, did you?"

"What do you know about us?" Steve asks as casually as he can, but his face closes up. They must be cautious, even this man saved Danny and Steve won't deny that he's in his debt for that. But they're on his premises and know little about this man who's supposed to have been dead for a while.

"I have to keep up with the current events, though it's irrelevant," Loki states, ignoring the strained air. "The fact is I stumbled on Adria's secret lab, so I know what she did to you and have a vague idea of what she intended to achieve in the end if you didn't stop her."

They gasp in shock as they process his words. The last thing they expect is to learn that their old enemy had a lab where some data on them were kept and maybe used.

"I went through their research logs and found out that she had suppressed the human DNA in you and believed she could make you pure-blooded. That was when I realized that General O'Neill's DNA wouldn't help me to find the cure."

The couple give him the identical pointed looks, only causing him to chuckle more. "You were hybrids. Actually Adria's idea was brilliant, even it was flawed. She didn't fully understand what she did to you and that would only cause you to wither."

Loki pauses and picks up the tablet. "So I made a few changes to her experiment design. I made a clone and added some foreign DNA to it, thought I could give the new clone the regenerative abilities in their genetic makeup to repair the flaws in it."

Danny's brow furrows, looking thoughtful before he says, "but that only allows the body to heal itself. It's not gonna repair genetic defects." Then he looks up and narrows his eyes. "And whose DNA you added to your clone's genetic makeup?"

"Yours. Technically some genes that spread across the whole population of Wyverns."

Danny almost, almost falls off the bed. "Mine?! You have my genes?"

"Adria took your DNA samples. Both of you. But I guessed it was her backup plan."

"We've been aware of that." Danny bites out as he waves his hand, his finger knifing through the air. "Now go back to the part where you used my DNA without my knowledge ? Mine?!"

"Genes which all Wyverns have."

Before Danny can counter back, he's stopped by Steve who puts a hand gently on the furious Wyvern. "I didn't know Asgard had this kind of machine that allow people to alter someone's DNA," Steve says incredulously.

"The Asgard government placed a marker in General O'Neill's DNA. And Thor was able to repair the error in his clone's DNA. We have something similar to the DNA resequenecer."

"But he couldn't repair the flaws in your people's?"

Loki shrugs.

Danny gestures at the alien, face flaming with anger. "So my DNA helped?"

"No."

Danny's jaw drops. "But- but this body-"

"I used the DNA Resequencer I had found at that lab and after the umpteenth failure, I seemed to restore my body to its original state. But in fact my genetic structure has been breaking down. And it's accelerating."

Loki rubs his forehead and grimaces.

For a few moments there's only silence. Steve feels a lot of conflicting emotions from Danny. Without having to ask his mate, Steve already know the reason why Danny's so torn right now. As the meaning sinks into Danny's mind, the Wyvern who has a big heart can't help but think about the possibility that they can save a whole species from their extinction. Saving lives is what Danny has been doing for years and every single life he saved means a lot to him. Now, a species? Steve can only imagine the emotional turmoil Danny's going through right now. He takes his mate's hand and squeezes it, telling him that he's with him, no matter what. Danny gives him a tight smile and relaxes against his Alpha's shoulder.

"Now you understand I'm close to the end," Loki says in a flat voice, as if he's having a small talk about some mundane things. "I'm in a much worse state than I was before. With my condition deteriorating fast, the impending death is inevitable."

Danny really feels sad for him and his race. Of course, he's still very mad at the Asgardian. For god's sake, he used his DNA! That feels like being violated. And after spending over a decade in law enforcement, he's become suspicious. On top of that, well, he does assume the worst most of the time. Right now he isn't sure about this rogue scientist's motives in saving them and then confiding in them. Why did he tell them about this? It only makes them antagonistic to him. Danny exchanges a look with Steve, aware that his mate is thinking along the same lines he is.

"Just when I start thinking I don't have enough time to find the solution and thus to cure my species, I ran into you guys, of all people," Loki sounds equal parts amused and amazed, as he waves the tablet he's been trifling with. "See, I've been wondering why you're still alive, given what Adria did to you. She tinkered with your DNA. Both of you should have been dead. So what happened?"

Loki's intense eyes flick from Danny to Steve, then back to Danny. "Steve was worried about you and the kids when you changed back but didn't wake up. So I ran some tests to see if there were some injuries I'd missed in the first place. Imagine how shocked I was when I got the results."

He swipes across the screen again and pulls up a holographic representations of DNA in front of them. "Whatever damage done to your genes has been repaired. Genetically, both of you are nearly perfect. Though I can't think of a single race who has such advanced technology to do that."

Without waiting for a response, Loki gives a final grunt of laughter, more resigned than hysterical, and watches with amusement as the couple give each other meaningful looks.

"Don't mind me," he suddenly says after a few minutes and has the pair to break their eye contact. "Now I'm convinced the Asgard is doomed. No mortal beings or ascended beings can repair the damage to your DNA. And to be honest, even if you would agree to provide your DNA sample, I still have no idea how to stabilize the genetic structure after I add a tiny fragment of yours to ours."

Danny sighs silently, though he manages to keep his expression neutral. Even if he's willing to offer his DNA sample and Loki knows how to save his species, this is still something he should clear with the tirade first. Besides, he doesn't know how to get over it. His god damn DNA! What is he supposed to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup! The new character is Loki! It's a really sad thing that the Asgard had to commit mass suicide.  
> In the cannon series, it's unknown whether Loki died along the others. And their humanoid ancestors seems hairless, which is not a very appealing look. So I have to make Loki look like Loki, if you know what I mean. XD


	53. Chapter 53

Multiple thoughts are looping over and over in Danny's head, but he finally settles for saying, "That's a lot to take in. But I'm really sorry for your loss."

Loki snaps his eyes back to Danny's in disbelief. "I'll keep trying until the last moment." Then he gives them a wry smile. "I'm the crazy rogue scientist who doesn't know when to stop and accept the fate. Thor used to accuse me of being persistent when every sane person knows it's time to let it go. I feel I'd better live up to my reputation."

Danny smiles a little. "Yeah, Thor talked a lot about you. You sure the two of you aren't brothers or buddies?"

Loki gives them the first gleeful chuckle after he told them about the genetic experiments he's done on himself. "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. We're- we were kind of each other's nemesis, always fighting." The forlorn tone he uses gives them a clear idea of what he fails to talk out loud - no matter how hard we fight, he's always my kind, from home.

Danny opens his mouth, but words fail him. No body likes to be the only remaining one of the whole race.

He wants to ask the man if his now pure Wyvern DNA could give this dying alien more time and their inherited knowledge would help him. Danny suspects that the reason that they failed to find a solution to their cloning problems when they studied Jack O'Neill's DNA years ago is that the Alpha was a hybrid in Loki's words. If the Asgardians were looking for some magic parts hidden in Drake or Wyvern DNA, it's not a surprise they, other than Loki who's more devoted or obdurate, felt so hopeless that they resorted to mass suicide to avoid a more miserable end. What's more, the Wyvern has a feeling that in the near future some Wyvern might possess the knowledge on how to repair genetic defects or reverse the decay in genome. So the extinction of the Asgard may be not so inevitable.

As far as Danny knows, Loki has no inkling of the existence of Yverians. It stands to reason that he believes no ascended race has the knowledge or technology to help him find the cure.

Danny's stomach churns, his thoughts whirling. He hasn't detected any sign of deception in Loki's body language or the mixed emotions radiating from him during their conversation. He's reluctant to read his mind to gauge his intentions. With his enhanced telepathy, it's not a difficult thing for Danny to find out if Loki is fishing for information. But he has made a point of respecting people's privacy as much as possible under non-hostile circumstances.

All sorts of possibilities dance in Danny's head.

With half his mind on all his options and the likely outcomes, Danny listens to Steve ask questions about the dragon-like creature. But more surprisingly, Loki's mood brightens. He gets more animated when he explains why he believes it's a man-made creature and wouldn't exist naturally. He tells Steve it's like someone sewed a pair of strong wings onto the body and put it there.

At length, Danny makes up his mind.

"We probably should take our leave," Danny says. "They're gonna be worried if we don't show up on time."

"I'm afraid you can't leave now," Loki sounds apologetic, his brow furrowing.

The couple get surprised and straighten up, looking at him with the twin wary expressions.

"Don't get me wrong." Loki holds his hand up slightly, his gesture placating. "I take it you've never been this planet before and knows little about it."

"It was not on our radar until recently," Danny says defensively.

"This planet is not what it looks like. The weather here is abnormal. There's a creature guarding a cave, presumably some secret warehouse or lab. I'm keen on finding it out. And the most unnatural thing you missed before you set foot on it is that every ten days there's a fierce storm sweeping across all continents. No one can be out and about during the stormy days."

"That is not real, isn't it?" Danny whines, a little worried. They don't need to meet with the other guys today, but it's uncommon that SGC would overlook such an important part.

Steve tilts his head and dials up his hearing. "That's true, Danny. A storm is raging outside."

"They didn't radio us and Daniel has yet to contact me," Danny muses out, a thoughtful look on his face, "which only means they --"

Loki interrupts him, "The radio won't work as long as the weather doesn't pick up. It causes all kinds of equipment failures. "

Danny throws up both of his hands in frustration. "Great."

_You can go to the spirit plane. The triad will follow you there._

Danny casts a quick glance at Steve. _That's a brilliant idea, babe. Only one flaw. I don't know how to go there. I'm not pale blue._

 _Just give it a shot. You went there before when you sorta needed to be there._ Steve beams at his mate encouragingly. _You should pretend to feel tired. I'll watch out for you when you're there._

_Very thoughtful, babe. And I love you too._

"You look pale, Danny," Steve says and his expression turns serious. "Maybe we should wait for the storm to pass while you lie down and have some rest? You should be more careful."

Danny seems to be struck with reluctance, but Steve crosses his arms over his chest, holding his mate's glare steadily. Danny recognizes the face and knows that Steve is making a show of not giving in. The Wyvern nods, secretly very proud of his big Alpha, before he looks Loki's way. "If it's not the cause of any trouble. I don't want to intrude."

"Obviously you have nowhere to go until the storm passes," Loki teases. "Just lie down. I'll monitor your vital signs. Can't be too careful when you have offspring to think about." The Asgardian's voice takes on that longing quality when he whispers, maybe to himself, "They are the most precious treasures."

Danny lies on the bed and closes his eyes, concentrating on his breathing. "Take me to the spirit planet. Take me there. Take me there."

*

"Precious! I need your help to contact the triad."

"They'll be here soon."

After a fractional hesitation, Danny says, "I don't know what to do. There might be a chance that we could save a race from its extinction. It's complicated, though. Maybe I should have read his mind, but he's not my enemy and we are not under special circumstances."

"You just think too much now. You sized the situation up and made a decision. There's nothing wrong with the way you make decisions."

Danny is still mulling it over when he hears himself called in a familiar voice. He turns around only to find Blair and and Daniel. It feels a little odd, but Danny tells himself that Tony must have other things to attend to. He pushes aside this thought and concentrates on his purpose here. He recounts what happened on that planet to Blair and Daniel.

"I was wondering why you came here suddenly," Daniel says, "when you were supposed to be with Steve goofing around."

"There's another thing I need to tell you: Tony went into heat," Blair says, but neither Danny or Daniel can sense his excitement. That's very unnatural for Blair, who has been the happiest person at the prospect of more dragon kids.

"That's a good news, right?"

"Yeah," Blair replies, rubbing his face, suddenly looking very tired. "Though the timing is not perfect."

The other two Wyverns stare at him, waiting silently for him to give more details.

"We don't know how long it will last and with you and Jack trapped on another planet," Blair trails off, his eyes on Daniel's.

"Now you are the only one of the triad who's able to make a decision if the situation requires." Daniel is frowning now. They can tell his mind starts racing.

"Anything happened on earth?" Danny asks, though he feels he already knows the answer. It must've been something bad enough to make the collected Wyvern unsettled.

Blair pinches the bridge of his nose. Something he does when he's troubled. Finally, he sighs. "Just don't tell Steve about this right now. We haven't gotten the whole picture of it yet, but it seems his mother tried to stir up a storm by stating publicly it's against nature that Wyverns, all male, are capable of carrying babies. She lobbied for new laws that forbid Alpha Drakes to have biological kids with their male mate, which has drawn much intense attention across the world. She gets a large following among humans."

Danny groans, feeling emotion swelling within him. He can't bear to think about Steve's face when he learns it. "Great. She wants to kill his son's kids. Steve's gonna be devastated or furious or both."

Blair pats his shoulder. "It's a can of worms." He gives Danny's arm a squeeze. "I'll look after Grace. Don't worry about that. She'll be perfectly fine when you come back. You just take care of your men. Okay? It's gonna be tough for them and you."

Danny nods and gives him a grateful look.

"As for the Loki situation, I'll talk with Jim first and Daniel with Jack. We'll let you know after we reach a decision. Jack might have some insight into what we should do with this Asgardian. I'd say we need our Asgard ally, if we aren't going to do this for other reasons."


	54. Chapter 54

"How's everything going?" Steve asks through their bond, as he holds Danny's hand, stroking it affectionately. It's really hard to ignore the tension radiating from his mate when the Wyvern comes to.

Danny opens his eyes only to find Steve alone in the room beside him, with their host nowhere to be seen. "Where is Loki?"

"He said he was gonna make additional preparations for his next confrontation with the man-made creature."

"So we were lucky he was just trying to get into that cave when we accidentally triggered something to awaken that thing. Any surveillance device in this room?"

Steve's face draws into a frown, but says nothing, as he turns up the second set of his hearing to search the particular electronic frequency.

Danny keeps his fond eyes on his mate who wears his typical I'm-concentrating face and lets his mind drift back to the day when Blair told them after having a lot of practice and tests those sentinels with super senses could tell the difference between various electronic signals. He knew it'd be useful some day, but hell, he's never thought it'd be so hot when Steve tilts his head subconsciously to use his enhanced hearing.

"No bugs. What's wrong?"

"Nothing specific. I was being cautious. Blair seems to be leaning towards helping Loki bring Thor and his people back. That's nice. But what gets me worried is another thing. I can't help but keep thinking if there are more labs where Adria conducted her experiments with our DNA." Danny cursed himself inwardly that he has to hold something back from his Alpha, even though strictly speaking he only falls back on partial truth, he's still unable to shake off worries. What if Steve catches on to something? If he gives away his hatred for those people who hurt his mate? Then he gives himself a wry snort. What's the point anyway? Once they come back home, it's impossible to keep Steve in the dark about such waves that his mom has made.

So instead of dwelling on it, he simply continues, "And Tony went into heat with Gibbs, which left Blair and Jim alone in charge. You know it's a damn mess on earth now."

"They'll see sense," Steve says, patting Danny's hand in a soothing way, though he's clearly worried as well. He hasn't reflected on what Adria had done when she took them captive, but it's a disturbing thought indeed. "We share a planet. We're in the trenches. There are more predators outside with great interest in conquering earth. Why do we have to fight to the death and play into their hand instead?"

Danny gives him a wry smile. "Not everyone is this rational."

"It might not be that bad, if Tony went in heat. Alrick wouldn't let him go into a mating cycle with Gibbs, if the situation on earth is that serious."

Danny shifts on the bed until there's enough room for his mate to lie down beside him. Then he tugs at Steve's shirt to get them settling into a comfortable position with his head rested on the Alpha's shoulder. "Hard to tell when it comes to Alrick."

Steve's arms make their way around Danny's waist to pull the Wyvern even closer until he's practically plastered onto Steve's front. Then the Alpha lets out a rumble of contentment and says, "At least there's a chance that you will not be the only one carrying. And the sex is much more intense during a mating cycle. If only I could have more lucid moments next time."

The wistful tone in Steve's voice is enough to make Danny look back at his face with an incredulous expression on his own face. Feeling unable to resist the urge to tease his mate, Danny says with a straight face, "I probably need to figure out the methods of birth control before the next cycle. I don't think Alphas always get their mate pregnant with twins." And he swears he sees Steve's eyes light up and his face twitch in a way only indicating how hard it is for the Alpha to stop the contented smile from creeping onto his face and struggle to put up a disinterested front.

In fact Steve hasn't thought about the prospect of having more kids with Danny for a while after he started fearing for his mate and their children and therefore went into his protective mode for them. But when he spares a second to consider it, the idea actually sounds great. He knows Danny comes from a big family and he always loves children. And as for Steve, as long as their kids are happy and don't have the same kind of family and childhood as he did, he doesn't mind if they are gonna raise the roof (or accidentally blow up something). He's gonna make sure they know that they can talk to Danny and him and they don't need to keep everything to themselves. Danny and him will be with them every step of the way. They're allowed to make mistakes, to make a mess of the room, to voice their feelings or to admit they're hurt and seek comfort from their parents.

"Stop daydreaming Steven. Three McGarretts under one roof is probably all I can handle. I might need to reconstruct the house to shore up the walls."

Which only draws a sly smile from his goofy mate. "We can kick them out the moment they come of age."

With a roll of his eyes, Danny asks with a smirk, "any chance I can kick you out first?"

Steve pouts and then gives Danny his best wounded puppy eyes. "You've already had enough of me?"

*

When Danny's sleep finally comes that night, it is fitful. He can't push the uneasy feeling out of his mind.

He has told Steve about Jack O'Neill's take on Loki and that he feels it better to have Loki under their eyes than not to know what he's up to or where he is. And they decided to go with Loki the next day to see if there's anything hidden in the cave after they talked it over. It might be nothing, but Danny has this knack of getting into trouble every time he has a bad feeling.

*

After watching Loki prowling around in his lab, then fiddling with various kinds of devices which seem completely foreign to the scientist, Danny finally gives up on him. There's no way that the Asgardian can put a weapon together. The Wyvern sighs and asks the alien, "where did you get those things?"

Loki looks up from what he's busy studying. "Some from Adria's lab."

"Do you know how to use them?" Danny inquires, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

Loki blinks in confusion. "I can figure it out."

Danny feels his jaw almost drop as he gawks at him. "How did you manage to stay alive with such crappy skills in the use of weapons when you tried to confront an enormous creature?"

"I have a transportation device," Loki answers indignantly. "And I'm a geneticist, not even an engineer."

"Okay." Danny holds both of his hands up in mock surrender. "Let us do this okay? You just focus on what might be inside the cave. We'll deal with the man-made creature."

"Are you sure?" Loki sounds outright incredulous. "You seemed to be in great need of help last time when you ran into it."

Danny bites the inside of his mouth and resists the urge to quip. Great. This is the Loki in his imagination, who has a cutting tongue and makes caustic remarks to counter. "We didn't take any weapons with us. We were on a vacation."

Loki snorts in response as he turns his eyes back to those weapons. He purses his lips, looking thoughtful. "Fine. Help yourself." He pushes them to the couple across the table and goes to pack up his scientific instruments instead.

Danny has to hide his amused look behind the mug he's holding before he turns his eyes back to his Alpha and gestures at the collection of miscellaneous items on the table. "Babe, those are all yours. There's probably no grenade. But I get a glimpse of something you really like. It's a wide range of handheld weapons."

Steve paws through the heap of alien devices enthusiastically, all bright eyes and eager face. "Loki! Do you have a time dilation device?"

"No," Loki answers, his head bend over his pack and other instruments. "Why?"

"Thought if we find something alive and useful later, we can trapped them in a time dilation field."

Loki looks up again. "What kind of things to be exact?"

"Patched-up creatures? Maybe some clones of the owner who built a lab or whatever inside a cave?"

"Gee!" Danny says in disbelief. "What are you hoping for? An encounter with more interesting creatures?"

"Yes, that might help him," Steve says defensively, pointing at Loki in such an ostentatious way that Danny has no doubt that was only an excuse Steve came up with to cover up the excitement of the geek in him.

"Hmmm, thanks?" Loki says uncertainly. "But I don't understand why it might help me."

Danny can't help but smile at Loki's confused look. "Don't mind him. We'll just go in and find if it's some secret lab and has anything that's helpful to you."

Loki makes a grunt in response and goes back to his job as Danny scoots his chair toward Steve, peeking over his shoulder at what he's toying with. "Steve, what are you doing?" Danny is not screaming. He just has to take a second look at that coffin-shaped device to be sure that he's not imagining things. "Is that a Goa'uld bomb? Why do you have a Goa'uld bomb? And what did you just put inside it?"

Steve flashes him a stupidly bright grin with his eyes still fixed on the device he's working on. "Danny, it's on the fritz. I can fix it. No, actually, I can modify it and make it more powerful."

"When did you become an alien explosives expert? And why do we need a more powerful bomb?"

"It's not that different from assembling a conventional bomb using different explosives." Steve puts the glass dome back in place and looks up at his Wyvern with a triumphant grin. "See, it's not that difficult."

Danny levels his finger at him with a look of someone who's finally at the end of his tether. "You understand that no explosives is allowed in the house, especially those alien ones," the Wyvern says threateningly. "Or the next thing I know will be you helping the twins with their science project on how to build a Goa'uld bomb in the kitchen."

"Danny! We don't have Naquadah in our kitchen!" Steve complains in a whine which only earns him a glare from his mate. "Besides, it's no fun to build it at all. If the knowledge they'll have is similar to yours, it's gonna be too easy for them." Catching the murderous expression on Danny's face, Steve adds in haste, "I share the knowledge with you. You know it's very safe."

"That irks me more. Why does it have to include knowledge of engineering and information on weaponry? You're already trigger-happy. It's like that they're encouraging you."

The way Steve grins at him proudly only makes Danny want to wipe that stupid smile off of that stupid face, or kiss on those lips. He's not decided yet. So for now, Danny settles for giving his goofy mate a scowl and a finger jabbing at his chest. Though he has long since stopped pretending that he has no idea for any onlooker who's looking at them, they're just openly affectionate.

"You have genetic knowledge?" Loki's curious voice gets them pulling their gaze away from each other. "I thought you've lost your ability to pobsess all kinds of genetic knowledge."

"It's still new to us," Danny answers distractedly, his attention on his mate, fully aware that something just crossed Steve's mind. He eyes him covertly and decides to file it away for later. "It'd been lost for a long while."

Loki nods in acknowledgment. "Some of my people went to earth when the dragons were still the dominant species there. When they came back, they couldn't stop talking about the genetic knowledge those Alphas shared with their mate. They thought it was very helpful since your people could only live for a little longer than a century."

"Maybe you should consider coming with us when we leave this planet," Danny suggests. "Maybe some other dragons will have the knowledge you need."

Loki pauses, thinking about it, then he sighs deeply. "I don't think General O'Neill would be very happy about that. He's Thor's friend. He would be mad to know that I had Thor fooled again."

"Don't worry about that," Danny reassures him. "If he knows that you only tries to find a cure and bring your people back, he'll understand. I'm certain he won't be opposed to helping you out."


	55. Chapter 55

When the weather clears up, Danny and Steve accompany Loki to the mountain, well equipped this time. Too well equipped, if you ask for Danny's opinion. Because it makes Steve believe that he is invincible and can do anything. And it shaves a decade off Danny's life when he watches Steve pulling that stunt. He would never admit to anyone, especially Steve, that secretly he thinks Steve is super awesome when the Alpha shifts back into human form in the air just above the creature and lands on its back to put a tiny version of the Goa'uld bomb on it, then he jumps down, leaving a bewildered monster who is unable to locate its target. No, he sees no reason to part with the information. On the contrary, he would be damned if he lets Steve know he found his Alpha hot when he did this kind of stupid stuff.

As he is still lost in his thoughts, Steve has landed on the ground, pulled the Wyvern down into his arms and rolled over with him. They are barely far away enough from the perplexed creature and the Alpha ends up sprawling on top of him, covering his body with his, when the bomb explodes and the creature is blown into bloody pieces which shower over them. They lie there and stay locked together in an embrace, unaware of the stink eye the Asgardian shoots their way, who has received no warning beforehand and had to hide behind a rock by himself. 

Loki keeps grumbling after that, saying they have no courtesy at all as a civilized race, which gets Steve's goofy grin and the faint blush on Danny's face in reply. It only ends when Danny, who can't mask the curiosity in his voice, asks him if someone has done something similar to him before, which gets the scientist flustered, his face flushing. "Thor tried to choke the breath out of me once by landing on top of me," he tells them in a bitter voice, in a pathetic attempt to convince the couple that Thor only tried to kill him. "Nothing but him being stupidly heroic," he insists, waving his hands furiously.

"Okay, if you say so," Danny says with a shrug, letting it drop for now. 

They venture further into the cave and find, much to their consternation, another clone of Anubis in a stasis pod. They haven't met the notorious Goa'uld before, though his reputation precedes him. Compared to him, Ba'al is almost a gentleman who is not only flexible but also comes off as lenient. Danny has never thought there would be a day when he would rather have Ba'al as the leader of the Goa'uld. And here he is, standing agape in front of the pod, facing an Anubis' clone, wishing that he were in fact hallucinating right now. Every damn time, he swears to himself. Every time he has a bad feeling creeping up his spine, it is gonna become true in one way or another. 

Steve is struck speechless as well. He barely resists the urge to make a gibe that if Gibbs is known for his gift of knowing, then his mate can totally stack up well against him with his negative version of knowing. This can't happen again. Why did they have to stumble upon the most sadistic Goa'uld in the universe?

Loki hasn't encountered any Goa'uld before. When humans were fighting against those aliens, Asgard was facing a much worse enemy. Thus he has no clue what kind of emotional turmoil his companions are in right this moment as he satisfies himself with browsing through the notes he found on the table.

This unexpected find leaves them no other choice but to contact Jack and Daniel sooner than they planned to do and let them assess the chances of bringing it back to earth intact without awakening the sleeping beauty (or beast in this case). Luckily, they've already talked Loki into coming to earth with them, so the meeting with Jack doesn't turn into a disaster. 

When the other couple arrive, Jack doesn't show his surprise at Loki's appearance nor acknowledges his presence in any way, although the Asgardian is right there. In contrast to his unhappy Alpha, Daniel offers a smile in greeting when he finds that black-haired alien stands behind Danny, looking nervous. That strikes him more than anything else. Is this guy the same person he met before?

They pack up everything they need to bring back to earth pretty quickly. Danny watches on the sidelines as they buzz around. He steals a glance at Steve who looks as excited as he can be since they accidentally found another storage room deep inside the cave. Those Goa'uld weapons there are enough to keep the Alpha occupied, so he doesn't notice the concerned expression on his mate's face nor the deep creases that have taken residence between Danny's brows. 

*

"It has escalated very fast," Blair says. "I hate to say it but we were caught off guard. Before Tony and Gibbs went into their mating cycle, Gibbs hadn't given any specific instructions on how to proceed and what to do with the information you gave him. We launched an investigation into her actions. But before we drew any conclusion, she's gained fame by advocating for new laws to prohibit Alphas from impregnating their mates."

"So we can do nothing about it? Even she has committed crimes." Steve hisses with frustration. He really doesn't want to explore the underlying meaning of Doris' advocation. Does she have any idea what this means? It means his boys - her grandkids actually, not her enemy's offspring - would be singled out by the religious maniacs before they come into this world if those people get wind of it. She might have made them the targets for anyone who has a fear or dislike for the children of an alpha couple and therefore get an easy beading on them.

"It will look very bad if the only one dragon on humans side is charged and found guilty by the Dragon Council when the relations between the two species are at their worst," Blair explains. "But it doesn't mean we'll let her get away with it."

Danny puts his hand on Steve's forearm to soothe him. "We should make use of the media and guide public opinion as well," Danny suggests, drawing every set of eyes in the room to him. 

"What do you have in mind?"

"I mean it won't gain her any sympathy if people find out she wants to murder her son's mate and kids." He casts a nervous glance at Steve before he continues. "Babe, it shouldn't be my place to conceive of something to fight her off if she didn't put our kids in danger. If anything, I would never ask you to choose between her and us. We're supposed to be family."

"Danny!" Steve cuts him off, looking exasperated. "I thought I've convinced you long ago you are my priorities. And she's not my family. If she had been sometimes before she abandoned us, she chose to stop being a mother and loving her kids long ago."

Danny closes his eyes for a few seconds, clearly feeling torn and troubled. He wants nothing but the best for Steve. He wants Steve to be happy, to be happy with him of course. But he also wishes that his Alpha could have a loving and supportive family like anybody else who deserves to have one. This is a difficult decision to make for Danny, because the next words he's going to say might change everything forever. He doesn't want Steve to blame or even hate him later. So he opens his eyes and looks right into Steve's in the hopes that he can make it known to his mate that he doesn't take it slightly. "Babe, if we do this, there's no going back and no reconciliation whatsoever between you two forever."

Steve reaches for his hand and squeezes it. Now he fully understands what's weighing on his mate's mind. Danny's been hesitant because of him. He has no idea why he's so lucky to have Danny who loves him and puts him before himself every time. Not that he's complaining or he's gonna ever give this up. But right now it's time for Steve to show Danny how much he means to the Alpha. This isn't him choosing between his mate and his mother. This is him protecting his Wyvern and their kids at any cost. There's nothing that would stop him. "She made her choice. She should have seen this coming."

"Then we might consider letting the public know I'm the one carrying and she doesn't like that Steve's bonded to me and actually tried to kidnap my daughter and kill our unborn sons."

"That's gonna look way worse for her and her followers," Blair admits.

"It's not just a sinful act, it's an atrocious one try to kill her own son's kids."

"This will definitely tip the balance in our favor. I'll arrange an interview for you guys."


	56. Chapter 56

*

"Please welcome the leader of H5O, Commander Steve McGarrett and his partner in every sense, Detective Danny Williams," the host announces.

The audience in the studio applauds as the famous couple walk in.

"Thank you for inviting us and I'm truly sorry for causing you trouble on our account," Danny greets the host as he offers his hand.

The host, Laurel, shakes it and greets them with another bright smile. Then Steve shakes her hand and gives her a rigid nod, the tension radiating from his stiff posture so obvious, as though he's on a secret mission that he has to be alert.

Laurel gestures at the comfortable looking couch and lets them settle down on it before she turns her face to the cameras. "In case some of our audience have no idea what we're talking about," the host says as she sits back. "I've been receiving hate mails since the station announced that I was gonna interview these two. They accused me of sucking up to the dragons and liking kissing their ass. They said I was biased, because I was saved by an Alpha before. Though I don't see the difference between being grateful to the firefighters after they saved you from a burning building and being grateful to a dragon after he saved you in a hostage situation. If anything, as far as I know, most dragons are in the law enforcement and military. I don't know why I can't have a soft spot for those men and women in uniform."

"Maybe they hope you'd give us the real going-over," Danny says jokingly.

"Even the most popular talk show wouldn't survive long, if the host picks every guest apart."

The audience in the studio bursts into laughter.

"Okay, now let's get right to the issue on everyone's mind. Are you the Wyvern who is carrying right now, Detective Williams? You sure don't look like one."

"Call me Danny," the Wyvern says with a contented smile. "And yes, we're the happy expectant dads," he announces proudly as he reaches for Steve's hand and entwines their fingers.

There are wolf whistles in the studio.

Danny waits for a seconds, then flashes a shy smile. "I don't know, really, but I think maybe it's because I lost more than twenty pounds when I emerged and then another ten pounds during my first trimester. You can imagine that. Apparently I'm one of those unlucky expectant people who can't keep the food down during the first few months. Now I totally understand that it's not an exaggeration when your pregnant wife complains about every little things. Because it's really hard and tiring for some of us."

The audience begins murmuring to each other. Some even nod in agreement when Danny smiles at them charmingly and jokes that he has learned his lesson and should have taken those complaints seriously.

Steve lands a gentle hand on Danny's knee and says, "Danny looked so thin. He threw up everything he ate. I have to say I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. But our doctors said it was normal. Can you believe it?" Steve sounds truly frustrated, causing the host and some of the audience to chuckle.

"Okay, now we know the fearless leader of 5O is not that fearless at all," the host teases. "He's just like us, or at least like any loving husband whose wife's pregnant and doesn't feel well."

Steve flushes furiously and the audience roars with laughter.

"He's my big goof," Danny says proudly, his affectionate eyes fixed on his mate. No one is gonna doubt the love between the two men.

The host draws the attention back to the talk. "We all know that you were away from home these days. So what brought you back?"

"We want our kids to be born in Hawaii," Danny says as he fixes his fond eyes on Steve who just grins stupidly at his mate.

"I was born here," Steve adds solemnly before he tears his eyes off of Danny's and looks back at the audience with a serious expression on his face. "My father was born here. And my grandfather died protecting these islands decades ago. We want the kids to remember all the sacrifices their grandfather and great grandfather have made and grow up into the honorable men who will protect their home or home planet at any cost."

The audience starts to whisper among themselves. Then it breaks into wild applause.

"You have a daughter from your previous marriage," Laurel asks in a soft voice after a few seconds when the applause dies down a little. "How does she feel about this?" She gestures at Danny's belly and studies his face to gauge his reaction.

"She's over the moon," Danny answers, beaming proudly. "She loves to be a big sister. She has a little brother from her mother's side and is gonna have two more from my side. She's happy."

"It seems she takes it well," the host comments with a relieved smile of her own.

"Yes, she's an amazing little girl. I always thought it was because of her youthful resilience. But she's such a great girl with a big heart." Danny pauses for a second before he adds with a straight face as if he's talking about something very serious, "though I think those werewolf fictions help some."

"Why's it?" Laurel asks curiously.

Danny can't help but give a little chuckle. "I'm too old to get my head around it. But it seems that those kids who love this kind of novels think it's pretty awesome to see alphas having kids with their mate. And she mentioned something like a pack? I'm not sure if I get it right. Does that mean ohana?"

"Yes," Laurels grins and the audience bubbles over with laughter.

"Many of our audience want to know how you guys hold up? Since it's kinda unexpected, according to the information released at the joint press conference a few days ago."

"We didn't expect it to happen. That's for sure." Danny runs his hand through his hair, looking a little nervous. "But I guess all the parents will understand when I say we'd never regret having them. Yes, it was not the best scenario and now there are groups that wish we could just drop dead. Or at least want me and the kids to disappear from earth. It's not a perfect situation, but I'm lucky to have the most supportive and loving mate and ohana. Steve and I are trying very hard to stay positive."

There's a slightly strained silence in the room before the audience becomes a bit restless, clearly feeling for them.

"So it's true that this had something to do with the alien enemy you were fighting against?"

Danny winces at the question, looking like he's reliving the worst nightmare he's ever had again, as Steve takes his hand and answers in his stead, "That's right. We were on a mission and got captured by our former enemy. They experimented on us."

Many of the audience gasp at the revelation.

"And I got Danny knocked up," Steve says, his caring eyes locked with Danny's. "But Danny is right. We'll never regret having them."

Danny's lips quirk up into a smile before he turns his eyes to the audience. "To be honest, I was scared when we found out that I'm pregnant. We didn't know if I could carry them to term, or whether they were healthy. I was worried about them. But Steve's been there caring for me, even when I was at my worst."

"That's really sweet," Laurel teases, drawing smiles.

Danny exchanges a smile with Steve, who seems completely lost in their own world. The audience cheers and whistles, but these two just gaze at each other with the twin fond expressions.

"You know I've been burning with questions since they confirmed the existence of aliens at that joint press conference," Laurel says, exhilarated. "Can I ask one?"

"Ask away," Danny's voice is light and carefree. "And we only answer it if it doesn't involve classified information."

"What do they look like?"

"Most of them are humanoid," Danny says with a small smile. "Some have more distinctive looks. I can tell you some of our allies and enemies don't reproduce sexually and we definitely don't see them as freaks."

Laurel lets out a small gasp and waits for the whispers in the studio to drop off a little before she asks, "how do they procreate their kids?"

"The reproductive nature of many other races are not entirely understood," Danny says. "We're basically in our nascent stages compared to those extremely advanced species."

Laurel nods in awe and goes on to ask the couple a few more questions which the viewers are most curious about and don't involve any classified information. Then she gives them a mischievous smile and says cryptically, "We invite a surprise guest for you guys." She winks at them playfully. "Wanna take a guess?"

Danny blinks with a look of surprise on his face, and Steve looks wary and suspicious instantly, the perfect picture of a caring husband or mate who has been through a lot lately and only wants to protect his mate from as many hostile confrontation as possible.

The host giggles gleefully. "Okay, I'll spare you all these troubles. And don't worry Commander, this is not an enemy or frantic religious person. Let's welcome Mary Ann McGarrett, Commander McGarrett's little sister."

Both of the men stand up at once, looking like in a daze, as Mary walks into the room. She shakes Laurel's hand and then pulls the two men into a tight hug. "Hi, my big brothers."

"I can't believe you're really here," Danny says excitedly, his face flushing a shade of pink as he talks very fast. "We talked on the phone yesterday. Oh God. I'm so happy you're here."

Danny pulls away and gives her a once-over before he wraps his arms around her shoulders again as Mary chuckles and shares a knowing smile with Steve. "Now I can see why Steve talked about hormones." She gives a squeeze on Danny's shoulder and winks at her brother conspiratorially, who stands beside his family and grins lovingly at the two of them.

"Thank you for inviting me here," Mary says to the host. "I want to give them a surprise. And believe me it's not that easy when your brothers are cops."

"I'm so sorry to remind you your brother is not a cop," Danny says mockingly as Mary takes seat beside him.

"I thought you trained him well," Mary says, all wide-eyed innocence.

Laurel chuckles at the sight of Steve's mock annoyed look. "If I'm not wrong, you are the only human in your family. How do you take it?"

Mary sits up straighter, a serious expression showing on her face. "When I was young, it was very hard for me to acknowledge it. I was angry and I think it helped me to go wrong."

Danny pats her arm gently to show his support as she carries on. "I kinda just let things slide, feeling there was no point in striving hard. It felt like I let everyone down."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mare," Steve says sadly. "I didn't know that. We never thought that you let us down. I should've tried harder to help you."

"There was nothing you could help me with, Steve," Mary says evenly. "I need to come to sense in my way. I was hurt and angry. I think that was partly why I didn't contact you for years."

Laurel interrupts, "many of our audience might not know. Mary and her brother were separated from each other for years. If I'm correct?"

"That's right." Mary nods at her. "Our dad sent us away after our mom died. Hmm. After she faked her death. Our dad was overwhelmed with grief and couldn't handle his two kids. So he sent me to the mainland to live with our aunt Debby and sent Steve away to a military school. Steve had already emerged as an Alpha by then. I was angry at everyone. I didn't try to contact Steve and never read the letters he wrote me." Then she turns her head to Steve. "But we made up. We're good now."

"Yeah, we're good," Steve repeats, returning her a big smile of his own.

"You said you mom faked her death?" Laurel asks in a soft voice. "I guess you already know what your mom has been advocating these days."

"Yes, I'm fully aware of that," Mary says dryly. "Come to think of it, it's not surprising at all. At least to me it's not a surprise."

"Why do you say that?"

"You know our mom only wants a strong Alpha mate who would listen to her whims, like our dad," Mary states emotionlessly, like she is talking about someone else's family, "and strong dragon kids. So I've known from the day when I got my blood test result that she was disappointed in me for that I have only enough dragon blood to be dormant. But at least she has a son who emerged as an Alpha and became a decorated SEAL, then an elite dragon. Only if he could become a ranking member of the dragon society and obey her. But look at Steve. He might be the toughest sailor you've ever met, but he wants nothing like that. He has no interest in power, fame or influence. We always tease him about that. If there's no criminals running around, he would definitely want nothing more than spending all his time with his intended mate and his ohana."

Laurel laughs as she adds, "don't forget about those evil aliens! Your brothers have been fighting against vicious aliens these days."

"Yeah," Mary replies wryly with a roll of her eyes, as if she can barely put up with the craziness of her brothers. "Crazy big brothers, right? I can't believe they let Danny go on a mission when he's pregnant with my nephews. We do have some laws to protect pregnant people, right?"

The audience laughs at her remarks and Steve nods his agreement firmly. "I told Danny that he should stay put."

"And give you free rein to do whatever you please on another planet?" Danny asks sarcastically. "No. It's not gonna happen."

Mary rolls her eyes at the pout Steve's sporting and says, "anyway, it's not a surprise that my mom is so disappointed at her promising son who chose to neglect his glorious future and became a family man."

"So you think she doesn't like that your brother is bonded?" Laurel prompts.

"Without doubt," Mary says with a casual shrug.

"She thinks his bond is an obstacle to his career as an Alpha?" Laurel sounds genuinely confused. "Why is that?"

Mary snorts with amusement. "Haven't you met them?" She points at the two men. "People in Hawaii didn't start calling them an old married couple after they bonded. They thought they were a couple when Danny was still a human. They only have eyes for each other."

Many people in the audience seats nod in agreement.

Laurel smiles at her knowingly. "I have a cousin who's a paramedic. She told me once that she and her colleagues thought they were dating long before Danny emerged."

The Wyvern looks surprised and Steve at least has the grace to blush a little. "Really?" Danny mumbles. "I can't believe people thought we were dating!"

Mary smirks. "Let me tell you a secret." She turns to the host who looks very eager to learn any secret of her guests. "Steve let slip once when he was so hopelessly in love with and pining for his partner slash best friend."

The Alpha looks alarmed instantly and waves his hand to indicate strangling her if she doesn't stop right now which Mary ignores easily.

"I'd like to know it too," Danny says with a wry smile after he flicks his eyes from Steve to Mary.

"Steve told me that he believed he was gonna lead a celibate life because he fell in love with his human partner," Mary says, smiling unrepentantly at her big brother.

"Oh, God, you have to tell everyone," Steve groans.

"We all love secrets," Laurel says with a grin. "That's the point of inviting surprise guests, Commander."

The rest of the room bursts out laughing again.

"I assume you still live on the mainland?" Laurel asks Mary. "Ever thought about moving back?"

Both of Danny and Steve fix their eyes on Mary and look at her hopefully, as Mary answers, "In fact I thought about that after we made up. But I know my brothers want to do everything for me. So although the idea is very tempting, I feel I need to stay away from them to become a responsible grownup. If I move back, they'll probably spoil me. I might just let them take care of me. And I would never truly grow up."

"You know we care about you and want the best for you," Danny says sincerely while his mate nods beside him, with a similar serious look on his face.

"We'd like to have you close to us," Steve adds in haste.

"And I will never need to do a single thing by myself," Mary counters. "You guys will just take care of everything. Not that I don't feel lucky to have you guys, but I need to be independent and dependable."

"We are not mother henning you!" Danny says firmly.

"Oh, sure you are," Mary laughs. "But I will move back one day. Hawaii is my home. And I want to see my nephews grow up."

"So it doesn't bother you that your brother in law is the first male carrying kids?" The host asks.

"Why should I feel bothered?" Mary sounds confused. "I felt sad for them before because they couldn't have their own kids and I know how wonderful fathers they would be and how much they love children. You may have thought people like Steve would not consider having kids, given his line of work. But actually he's one of those stupid dads. Now they start a family, and I'm ecstatic about it. They're so loved up. And as some saying goes, children are the best reminder of their true love. They deserve a happily-ever-after."

"But you might still be the only human in the family," Laurel points out.

"That's fine," Mary says in a carefree voice. "Actually if you factor into Danny's family, I'm not the only one. I don't feel lonely anymore. In fact Ms. Williams invites me to spend the Christmas holidays with them in Jersey."

"What?" Danny exclaims in disbelief. "They didn't invite us!"

"Like you can take a long flight any time soon," Mary snorts.

"Still --" Danny grumbles when Steve chimes in happily, "Ma makes mean lasagna! I had to double the amount of my routine exercise to lose the pounds that I'd gained within the few days over Christmas last year when we spent with them."

"And I told you you could simply skip the snacks if you worried about your weight so much," Danny counters calmly. "You didn't have to eat everything she gave you. You know she was on a personal mission to fatten you up."

Mary snorts with laughter. "Do I need to go on a diet and lose some weight before I visit them?"

Steve nods decisively. "Definitely."

Laurel looks amused. "You said last Christmas? You didn't bond then."

"My little girl thought Steve was so pathetic that he hadn't done Christmas properly in ages," Danny explains. "So we kinda took pity on him and dragged him to Jersey with us."

"Steve didn't stand a chance when that girl gave him her imploring puppy eyes," Mary adds, pleased to be able to expose his brother's little secret.

"Best meals I've ever had!" Steve chips in, his face glowing with happiness, while he decidedly ignores what Mary just said.

Laurel changes the topic again. "Danny, you're the only Wyvern that has emerged in your family? And the only dragon right now?"

"Yes."

"How do your parents feel about that and the fact you're carrying kids?"

"They are happy for us," Danny says. "In fact my parents call Steve their favorite son. I've always known they love Steve more."

"Is that true?" Laurel sounds incredulous.

"They already loved Steve before we bonded," Danny replies, a smile creeping onto his face.

"Yes! Ma loves me more!" Steve adds proudly.

Danny rolls his eyes at his goofy mate. "I don't know why, but it seems that my ma thinks Steve's such an amazing guy. She actually told me to stop being so mean to this nice boy when they visited me in Hawaii for the first time and met this guy who in fact did nothing but to drive their firstborn crazy every day."

"I am a nice guy," Steve says firmly.

"Keep telling that to yourself babe."

"So your family have no problem with you being bonded with Steve and having his kids?" Laurel asks.

"Like I said, they love Steve. They can't wait to meet their grandkids or nephews or cousins. I think my parents just forget this pair of their grandkids have Steve's crazy genes."

"Hey!" Steve protests with a pout. "Ma thinks I'm cute and cool."

"I need to remind her to get her eyes checked by a real doctor," Danny jokes.

"Are they always like this?" Laurel asks, looking amused.

"I bet everyone on these islands has long ago got used to them being inseparable and sweet on each other," Mary says with a shrug, causing many of the audience to chuckle.

The smiles on the couple's faces are enough to light up the whole room.


	57. Chapter 57

"I might have found an easy way to help Loki," Danny says in all seriousness which causes Steve to lift his brow. "The time machine. If we can just go back in time enough to the days when they were still physically healthy, we might have a chance of getting their DNA samples and make healthy clones of them."

Steve gives him an irritated look. "First, there's no us in that sentence. No way I'd let you talk me into doing such things with you. Now what we need to focus on is how to make sure you'll deliver the twins without a hitch. Second, if, I mean if, we get our hands on those DNA samples as you suggested, the Asgardians still have to deal with the problems with their degraded genome soon or later. Not to mention it might set off a dangerous chain reaction that would change the timeline. And lastly, also most importantly, now we're naked, you straddling my hips about to ride me. Why are we talking about this at all?"

"Any chance we can talk it over before we resume what we were doing?" Danny asks hopefully.

"Nope." Steve curls one hand around the nape of his Wyvern's neck and pulls him down into a searing kiss. After capturing those soft lips, Steve rumbles with pleasure, sending shivers down Danny's spine.

The Wyvern moans helplessly with his face flushing, unable to find any strength to pull him away from his mate, completely lost in the desire he feels through their bond. Even they have made love so many times, Danny still feels like being infused with a sense of bliss as he did when he was claimed by Steve for the first time.

"I thought you said he had taken up too much of my time and you wanted to send him away as soon as possible," Danny reasons, struggling to keep his mind working.

Steve hums happily, as he slides his hands down to knead Danny's ass. It just fits perfectly in his hands. He keeps satisfying himself with rubbing the beautifully curved ass or pulling the cheeks apart to tease that already slippery entrance.

Danny's breath catches and he loses all his remaining ability to think or speak. The Wyvern puts his hands on Steve's shoulders to support himself in an attempt to take away some of the pressure on his belly. He pants softly, eyes closed, as his mate sits up slightly to put the Wyvern into a more comfortable position. He's never thought that he'd be this horny. The passion always dies down gradually after a couple getting used to each other's company. But it seems not the case for his lust for Steve or Steve's for him.

Danny moans against Steve's lips, rolling his hips to search for the perfect amount of friction, while his mate strokes his spine scales with one hand and kneads his ass with another. The Wyvern lets out a surprised gasp when Steve tilts his head to get better access to Danny's throat. Danny tries to get his breath under control, but his Alpha just licks at his throat band in a persistent manner, causing the Wyvern to shiver uncontrollably.

"Babe, I need you," Danny groans after Steve keeps teasing his entrance, letting his cockhead slide across between his ass cheeks and then squeezing them around his shaft. "Stop teasing me, Steve," the Wyvern whimpers desperately, pressing his forehead against Steve's.

And the Alpha, much to Danny's displeasure, just grins at his pregnant mate and claims his kiss swollen lips.

*

Now they live at the local center since there is a heightened security level. More importantly, Steve finally decided to take Gibbs up on his offer and stepped in as the Alpha Prime for the Pacific Area. So the local dragons are more cautious than ever about their Prime and his mate's safety - their Prime's unborn sons' safety actually. Though no one is gonna say it out loud. They're gonna welcome the first kids of an alpha couple into this world on this island. Just think about that!

And the alpha couple have an alien friend or whatever he is to them, who just tag along with them. Apparently the staff at the center see nothing wrong with having to accommodate an alien. To them Loki is not some super villain who kidnapped General O'Neill and cloned him, but a very shy guy (and a very handsome one) who only talks to Danny, and occasionally to Steve. Other times, he just locks himself away in the lab he set up after they arrived. Since the alien brought an assortment of advanced medical equipment with him which help a lot to reassure these worried staff members that they can monitor the babies and Danny properly, the local dragons are more than happy to have Loki on the island. They are not gonna make any mistake. If they could, they would glue Danny to a wheelchair and confine him to the compound. But very unfortunately, they are overruled by their Alpha Prime who practically only listens to his mate. And Danny would never agree to such arrangements.

It might sound unreal, though in fact before the couple left Colorado, Steve only met with Gibbs once to discuss his decision to do an interview and take up the mantle of an Alpha Prime. And there were still many things that Steve needed to settle with him and other members of the Council. But Tony hadn't reappeared even after the heat haze broke, given that Gibbs had ventured out of their rooms at least a few times, so all they could do was to postpone the meeting for now.

Meanwhile Danny had talked with Blair and Daniel too. Because of the fact that Jack and Loki had been at each other's throat and definitely rubbed the other the wrong way, it seemed a better idea that Danny took Loki along with them to Hawaii. At least this would keep the two of them - Jack O'Neill and Loki from doing something stupid or trying to strangle each other before they might have a chance of bringing Thor back to intervene. On top of that, they had to admit that Loki was a leading expert on not only genetics, but also medicine. And it seemed he was genuinely fond of Danny, so it was really the best solution.

*

The interview has received an unexpectedly positive response from both humans and dragons across the world. Except those extremely devoted religious people who see male carrying babies as a greater sin than murder, the majority of the public seems to sympathize with their fellow dragons immensely, especially the ones who actually put their lives at risk to protect them from being forced into slavery at the hands of some vicious aliens.

Doris is certainly not happy about it, since it didn't go down exactly as she planned. She tried to get some sympathy by playing the wronged mother who felt hard done by. But the fact that she has abandoned her kids before doesn't help the situation. And the open accusations that her own daughter and son have had the wool pulled over their eyes make things even worse for her. Though she still has a not small amount of followers some of who actually tried to seek Danny out in Hawaii, which does not only anger a decorated SEAL who is not just slightly protective of his mate, but also the local dragons and their fellow islanders as well.

But before Steve has time to do anything about it, they get a video call from Blair and Jim over a secure line to notify them that Ba'al found a queen.

"Any why is it that you guys are the ones to tell us about this?" Steve eyes them suspiciously. "You still in Colorado? We heard Gibbs and Tony went back to DC."

"They have issues to deal with in DC," Jim says.

"They haven't known if they did it," Blair chimes in. "Only a 50% chance. But they thought it better to be prepared. So they went back home."

"Still doesn't explain why you, not Jack and Daniel, inform us that Ba'al got a queen of his own."

"The other couple of the triad went into cycle too," Jim grunts. "And since Ba'al is our major problem right now, Blair and I have to hold down the fort for them for some days."

"You don't intend to rope us in, do you?" Steve asks, sounding extremely incredulous. "No way we'd leave Hawaii and go on a hunt for Ba'al now. We have enough troubles here. Some religious people sneaked into the island and tried to hunt Danny down. The HPD caught some stupid ones, but they are only the minions. We don't know how many more skulking outside."

"Sorry to hear that," Blair says sympathetically. "Anything we can do?"

Danny shakes his head. "But thanks for asking." He pauses for a second and exchanges a look with Steve. "And we'll be on the lookout for Ba'al here, in case he wants to contact Steve for some reasons. Or sell him information." Danny gives a wry laugh before he continues, "but that's all we can do for now. Because Loki thinks that I might go into labor any day this month. He believes the boys are ready. So I'm officially confined to the building."

"OMG!" Blair can't hide his excitement. "That's great news! Congrats, guys!"

"Turns out Loki is a solicitous doctor," Steve gives a gleeful chuckle. "Somehow he managed to badger Danny into spending the better part of the day in bed."

Blair chuckles. "Guess it was a good decision to let him go with you then."

"You bet."


	58. Chapter 58

"Still don't like the idea that he's gonna cut you open," Steve complains, rubbing the lower back of Danny gently to soothe the pain that the Wyvern has been feeling lately.

"I don't have a canal to push the boys out, Steve," Danny tries to reason with his worried Alpha. "Someone has to open me up and take the boys out. And Loki is the one familiar with Asgardian equipment."

"He's not a doctor," Steve tries again.

Danny rolls his eyes at his mate's lame excuse. This is not the first time they argue about such things since Loki said the boys should be ready in less than a month. The Alpha's protectiveness has been cranked up to an almost unbearable level, if you ask for Danny's opinion. Of course he's touched deeply, knowing that Steve fears for him and their sons, and really he understands. Being a parent is new to Steve. It's all wondrous for him. Basically he's high and worried and vigilant all at once. Reflecting back on how he felt when Grace was born, Danny is sure that Steve has had trouble sleeping for days. The Alpha is wound up and a little too jumpy for a tough SEAL. If Steve's not so adorable looking like this, flustered and eager as well, Danny would definitely laugh at him.

"I miss the days when I can walk around without feeling tired and when we can do things together," Danny gripes as he stares out the window forlornly, his head resting on one hand. "Maybe hiking is not that awful."

"Really?" Steve asks in disbelief. "You hate hiking. You kept bitching about me dragging you to some desolate place against your will."

"That's because you did that and bad things happened every time we didn't enjoy our day off at home. Dead body popped up or some arm dealers had to close a deal in the proximity when we were entertained."

Steve casts him a sideways look and grins slyly. "I knew you liked fishing with me in the open sea despite your constant complaints."

"You're delusional if you think you're so adorable that I can stand being alone with you in the middle of nowhere just for fun. And hiking miles just to see the petroglyphs is not my definition of fun."

"That was our first date!" Steve glows with happiness as he reflects on their first hiking together. "You drew me a heart in the air! Your declaration of love for me! I love you so much Danno!" The beaming Alpha pulls his mate into a tight hug and then peppers sloppy kisses over his face (much to Danny's displeasure).

Now it's Danny's turn to sound disbelieving. "Our what? I didn't declare my love for you back then. Maybe I enjoyed spending time with you and you made me feel wanted when I was so lost and lonely. That's all."

*

"How's Danny?" Kawika, the older local Alpha, asks as he sits down on the chair opposite Steve.

"Cranky, as you can imagine," Steve sighs and makes a face without realizing it. "He's bedridden and bored. Loki's with him right now."

Kawika arches his brow at the Prime inquisitively and the unspoken question is hanging in the air.

"Danny trusts him, so he's a friend." Steve holds up his hands to stop the older man he has known for years from lecturing him.

"That's not what's on my mind," the older man states in a flat voice. "I was thinking whether they are safe alone. One is heavily pregnant and the other, according to you, is a scientist who doesn't seem able to defend himself if an attack on them occurs, let along to defend his patient at the same time."

Steve narrows his eyes, his voice deathly cold. "Why do you think they need to defend themselves in one of my centers?"

"We may have a security breach," the large man finally says.

Steve's expression turns darker. "What do you know?"

"My people heard words."

"About what?"

"Someone inside the center is on the take," Kiwaki says. "Someone wishes you evil."

"Everyone of the staff has worked here for years. I double checked their backgrounds when I took it over. You know the dragons are happy to have Danny here and welcome the babies. They're loyalty to the Wing and the dragon community."

Kiwaki is silent for a moment, thinking about how to select his words. Finally he decides to play straight with Steve and bare his concern to his old acquaintance. "You can never be too careful. We now know a bonded dragon never becomes corrupt. But are you absolutely sure the same can be said of the others?" The older Alpha holds Steve's gaze steadily as he practically implies that there's a mole in Steve's Wing. "When are the boys due?"

"In a month," Steve replies with a smile. The cloud that was on his face disappears; in place of that the proud smile grows bigger and it is so bright and contagious that Kiwaki is hard pressed to believe that only a few months ago this same man would watch Danny forlornly with his sad eyes if he thought nobody was looking.

"I was thinking maybe you should pull in some other bonded alpha couples in your Wing. They'd be happy to pitch in. And you could have some of my people posted on guard along with your Betas. Did they return to work already?"

"Technically we're still on loan to SGC. And the Governor has made it very clear that I'm on paternity leave as long as Danny is." He sighs, much put upon this time. "So Kono and Chin keep themselves busy going through the files on some recent unresolved cases to see if there's anything we can do. And the other two took some days off, but became bored quickly. They went back to work after only a couple of days."

"You'll have them on alert?"

"You won't let it go until I call in some bonded alpha couples, will you?"

*

It's easy to talk Loki into going with them to cheer on Grace on the sidelines when she and other cheerleaders perform in a competition. The hard part though is to convince Steve he doesn't need a security detail to escort him. He relents in the end, since both his mate and his alien doctor/friend insist that he have to take security measures if he ever wants to go there.

Still Danny has a good time for a while at first with his Alpha and friends close by and his daughter in the cute cheerleader's outfit ready to go on stage and win the competition. His face blossoms into a dazzling smile when he sees his girl waving at them, bright grin firmly on her face. He turns his head slightly and finds Steve wearing the goofiest grin of his own as he waves back happily.

Everything seems perfect and Danny feels that his life is wonderful.

Then Steve becomes agitated and he catches the faint smell of burned wood. As if something is smoldering. They look around and find wisps of smoke in the air. Then there's a scream from the exit door. It's blocked. And suddenly everyone realizes the building is on fire and the fire escape and the emergency doors are all locked.

Everything goes to hell in a handcart after that. Screams, shouts, cries all around them. Everything seems to be on fire. Danny has to squint his eyes in the thick smoke to get his bearings. He hears Steve rasping the order out, insisting on getting the children out first, as he shoves past the panic crowd who stampede from the blocked exits to the broken windows. He tries his best to project calmness and helps anyone in need as he stumbles and wins through to the far end of the room where he last saw Grace and her teammates waiting for their turn.

The floor is of varnished wood, and Danny spares a second to wonder whether it would catch fire easily or it would give off toxic gas after that. There's no need to pour oil or gasoline on the floor to accelerate the spread of fire. There might not even be multiple seats of fire. After all a professional arsonist would set one single blaze and gut the entire building. He can only hope against hope that this is the work of some amateur.

"Grace!" He shouts out, looking around with his bleary eyes. He's choking. He feels like his lungs are on fire as well. People push past him, running for the balcony which was also for the spectators, where Chin and other Betas took the windows out, helping people crawl out and land on the roof of the adjoining room where people keep sports equipment and other tools.

The building is embraced by fire now. It's rolling up in a great blaze nearby as Danny helps a crying girl to her feet who seems lost during the turmoil and hands her over to one of Steve's Betas who has rushed over to where he is. "Get the girl out first. I'll look around and make sure there's no one left."

The big former SEAL scoops the little girl up and gives Danny a concerned look, before he hurries away with his temporary ward. He knows better than to waste time arguing with the Wyvern. The faster he gets the girl to a safe place, the sooner he can go back.

Danny feels his eyes burning. He can hardly peer through the haze. Everything is a blur against the blazing fire. Dimly he catches a glimpse of a tall figure running towards him, nimbly dodging debris that is falling down. The glow of the raging fire almost forms a glittering halo around him - his Alpha.

That's when Danny feels the twinge in his belly.

"I swear I only took my eyes off you for a second and then you were nowhere to be seen!" Steve is by his side now and holding him close, as if he's afraid that Danny would vanish into thin air again. "It gave me a turn," he says, pulling away a little to examine Danny's features more carefully. "Grace's outside, unhurt. Kono's with her. There's no one else down there. We should leave now."

Danny wants to give him a reassuring smile, but another contraction hits him and he doubles over. The pains return with full force. He can't help but feel the crippling waves of fear threatening to devour him. "I think the boys can't wait to meet us," the Wyvern grits out, breathing hard. "I'm in labor, I guess."

Steve freezes in the act of reaching out his hands, his mind blanking for a moment before he finally brings it back online. "Jesus Christ! You timed it well." The attempt at a joke to calm his nerves fails miserably as Danny groans in pain and clutches Steve's hands so hard. "What should I do?" The once cold Alpha stammers, his voice rising in a panic.

Danny rests his head on Steve's solid chest. He grabs the Alpha's shirt as if his life depends on it.

"Don't push!" Danny hears Loki's voice saying. He didn't even notice the Asgardian is at his side, keeping one hand on his lower back to support him.

"Breathe, breathe," the alien repeats, as he gestures to Steve to rub Danny's back, who by now is leaning heavily on the Alpha. Steve holds him up. He can tell Danny's sweating and trying hard to slow his breath. A few strands of his blond hair are plastered against his forehead.

"I have the transportation device with me," Loki says after he checks Danny over. "We need to get you back to the center now. And don't push. You need a C-Section."

Danny returns a weak smile. "Terrific."

"I can't take both of you with me," Loki shouts loudly to drown out the noises around them. "It'll take much more energy than it can handle. I'm gonna teleport Danny with me. Steve, can you shift and fly back?"

The Alpha nods, his eyes wild, holding his mate tight when Danny says through his gritted teeth, "he's not gonna shift inside the building. He's huge in his alpha form and he'll cause damage to the structure here."

"Forget about the building!" Loki hisses. "Take a look around. It's been damaged anyway. Who knows what is waiting for you in the center, if they see nothing wrong with burning down a gymnasium where a cheerleading competition is held and full of the kids just to bump you off. We need Steve to be there."


End file.
